Overview
- On Friday Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the West Bengal government has 'responded' to the DRDO and cleared administrative hurdles for a proposed defence test range at Junput in Purba Medinipur.
- The Defence Ministry told the Rajya Sabha in August 2024 that land acquisition and initial hard-standing and road work at Junput were completed but testing was paused because of local unrest and planned evacuations within a one-kilometre safety radius.
- The state says it will hand over land for 33 industrial plots before Durga Puja and is arranging meetings with major firms, including a planned visit to meet Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani and attendance at Adani’s New Town hospital foundation ceremony on September 24.
- Adhikari highlighted other project milestones as evidence of an investment push, citing the Rs 6,000-crore Haldia Petrochemicals unit set for inauguration in October, LTM’s new AI campus in New Town, and a Rs 700-crore Amul dairy project under way at Sankrail.
- Key details remain unresolved: central DRDO confirmation of resumed testing and operational timelines are not yet public, local resettlement and safety measures noted in the 2024 reply must be addressed, and the state says it will vet investors’ financial and regulatory records before allotting land.