The minister also took a swipe at the Opposition, saying they are trying hard to shake off their anti-industrialisation stand. “Our friends in the Opposition are trying to send a message that they are not anti-industry,” he said, adding there can be no development without industrialisation.

The industry minister, who was speaking today at a summit — West Bengal - The Investment Destination - organised by ASSOCHAM, said 65 big business houses invested around Rs 1,300 crore in the state in the past one year.

“Is it a fact there is a stagnation in investment in the state. In spite of such a campaign, so many investors are showing interest in the state. So many pages have been written on the failure in Singur. But there has been another Tata Motors project in the state - a telcom joint venture between Tata Motors and Hitachi Japan at Kharagpur - but it has got little publicity,” he said.

Sen said the government has identified about 1,300 acres of land in Durgapur, Bankura, Panagarh and Kharagpur which is free of any obstacles.

The minister, however, admitted the experience of investors with direct purchase of land has not been good. He cited the instance of a foundry park in Howrah where the Foundry Association has been trying to acquire 1,100 acres of land for five years and the Tata Metallics that could not buy land through direct purchase and had to stall its expansion plans in the state.

“Whenever there is a question of land, the state government should and must have a role to play,” Sen said, adding the government has to think about the rehabilitation of the people.

Industry minister on Singur: Both Tata and we are correct
A day after Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata and state chief secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti issued contradictory statements on the issue of return of land given to the Tatas for their small car factory at Singur, state Minister for Commerce and Industries Nirupam Sen joined the issue saying both sides were correct. While Tata had claimed there was no word from the West Bengal government on the issue, the chief secretary had claimed talks were on with the former to get back the land at the now abandoned Nano site.

“Both the Tata Motors and the state government are correct. The state government far has not officially communicated to the Tata Motors so far for giving up the land or on the issue of compensation. But whenever we took some company to Singur to show the land, we informed the Tatas. So unofficially, they knew we wanted the land back,” Sen said today at the sidelines of a seminar on business opportunities in Bengal organised by ASSOCHAM.