Suvendu Adhikari
Kolkata: Announcing an ambitious plan to develop Digha and its adjoining areas as a major beach tourism destination, Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said a comprehensive roadmap was being prepared to develop and beautify the 27-km stretch from Udaypur to Talpati. He said two major irrigation projects at Chandpur and Sankarpur, valued at about Rs 200 crore, had been sanctioned. Adhikari also announced enhanced safety measures for fishermen, including a high-frequency control room at the DSDA office in Digha and a specialised cell of 50 cops by March. “The previous govt did not let Bengal join Centre’s Sagarmala 1 initiative that aimed to promote port-led development across the country’s coastline. It harmed the state’s coastal belts and fishermen,” Adhikari said, adding that steps were being taken under Sagarmala 2 to develop fishing harbours and jetties. He reiterated how his govt has initiated work on a deep-sea port at Dadanpatrabar in East Midnapore, with 1,700 acres already available for the project.
Digha will also get a helicopter service, he said. “State govt will develop the 27-km coastline between Talpati and Udaypur into a cluster of tourist destinations, focusing on jobs for locals and low-cost family trips for the middle and lower-middle classes,” the CM announced after chairing a meeting with Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority officials in Digha. Several new tourism destinations will be developed across Gopalpur, Haripur in Majilapur, Baguran Jalpai and Petua, Adhikari said. “Those who build four-room homestays in the new tourist spots will get a subsidy of Rs 5 lakh,” the CM said. Alleging that the proposed Tajpur deep-sea port project under the previous Trinamool govt was a ‘bluff’, the CM said there was not even enough land available at the site to build a port.
We will take whatever action is necessary,” he said. Adhikari also issued a warning against extortion and ‘syndicate raj’, urging people to report such activities to the police or elected representatives. “If there is any extortion, strong-arm tactics or syndicate activity, inform the police. If land is illegally transferred and people are forced to pay money to buy or sell property… these are the practices of TMC thieves. Please inform me, your MLA or MP.