According to Mukherjee, the requirement for power in 2030 will be around 8 lakh MW. “At present, we produce around one-and-a-half lakh mw of power. We are not going in for nuclear power just for the sake of it. If we want to have affordable power we have to go in for nuclear power,” he said.

Mukherjee, however, backed the chief minister on the issue of land acquisition for infrastructure and industry in the state. “The Nandigram issue has taught us to be more cautious while acquiring land. We must come up with a comprehensive compensation package for farmers and have to take the people into confidence,” Bhattacharjee said.

“Factories and roads cannot be built in the air. We need land for it. But we have to acquire it judiciously,” Mukherjee said.