New Delhi, Sept 20 (KNN) Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Department, Additional Chief Secretary, West Bengal, Alapan Bandyopadhyay has directed the department that all the necessary support to North Bengal entrepreneurs must be available to them there itself.

He was speaking at the ‘Siliguri Synergy’ Conclave in Siliguru which was organized on the lines of Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee direction.

During the MSME Conclave in Kolkata in August this year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had proposed a similar conclave for North Bengal where problems of start-ups and entrepreneurs would be addressed.

Speaking after inaugurating the conclave, Bandyopadhyay said “Department needs to ensure that entrepreneurs do not have to rush to Kolkata to resolve problems. All necessary help will be made available to them here itself.”

With regard to land classification, he said that the industrialists and entrepreneurs should not face any problems to change the classification of land," stated Bandyopadhyay.

The Additional Chief Secretary, MSME, asked the District Magistrates to fix up the rates of land available in their districts for the start-ups and other industries and declare the same.

He further assured the entrepreneurs present there of all help and cooperation from the state government.

"We will also develop infrastructure that will aid industrialization," he added.

Issues like difficulty in acquiring fire licence, exorbitant power bills and problems faced in getting land to set up new industries were raised y entrepreneurs at the Synergy.

The small tea growers of the Darjeeling Hills complained of non-cooperation by the Tea Board relating to various issues and problems faced by the growers including Geographical Indication (GI) for the small tea cultivations. They further appealed for intervention by the MSME department.

Bandyopadhyay asked them to hand in a detailed report regarding the problems and assured of all possible help from the department.

The conclave organised by the MSME department and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) witnessed the participation of entrepreneurs from the North Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.

It has also been informed that the entrepreneurs will make investments to the tune of Rs 300 crore, this year in the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in North Bengal.

Since 2011, investments to the tune of Rs 1,700 crore have already been made in this sector in North Bengal along with providing employment to as many as 2,500 people.