The five PSUs are: Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), South Bengal State Transport Corporation, (SBSTC), North Bengal State Transoport Corporation (NBSTC), West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation, (WBSTC) and Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC).

The issue of their restructuring will come up at a meeting of the state government and the DFID of the British Government, which is funding the reforms, to be held on January 12 at the WBIDC office. At the meeting, Deoloitte, appointed as consultant by the state government, will submit its report on its survey of the moribund transport companies.

Deoloitte was roped in during the last days of Chakrabarthy, who gave in to the pressure from the chief minister.

Every year, the state government has to shell out Rs 400 crore in subsidy to run these loss-making PSUs and the CM was eager to restructure them. In 2004, a survey of these PSUs was started but Bhattacharjee had to beat a retreat following opposition from Chakrabarthy.

“It does not sound very nice but the fact is that the death of Chakrabarthy has given the CM an opportunity to take this bold initiative. But if he trims these PSUs by laying off people, he will face tremendous trouble because all these organisations are CITU bastions,” said a transport department official.

Chakrabarthy died on August 3 last year.

The present Transport Minister Ranjit Kundu, who is also a leader of CITU, says he has not yet studied the whole thing. “The matter is complex. Without studying it thoroughly, I can not make any comment,” Kundu said.

Of 25 PSUs put under restructuring, 12 have been retained, seven have been put under joint venture and two have been closed. Four others have been merged into two companies.

Wipro begins land acquisition process in Rajarhat

West Bengal’s industrialisation drive got a shot in the arm on the new year’s day on Friday with IT services major Wipro Technologies paying Rs 18.9 crore as the first instalment towards the cost of land at Rajarhat where it plans to set up its second campus in the state.

Wipro has purchased a 50-acre plot of land at Rajarhat, near the city, at a cost of Rs 75 crore and the entire amount is to be cleared within 90 days of the first instalment, sources in the IT department said. Wipro was not available for comment. State IT minister Debesh Das said it was good that companies had kept faith in the state and were maintaining their commitment. Wipro chairman Azim Premji had visited the plot with officials of his company last December after finalising the deal with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.