The WestBengal government must take measures to attract big investment asindustrialists are still "very apprehensive" about its policies,industry group Assocham said Wednesday.
"Still the people are very apprehensive of the state government...Oncethey attract an investment to the extent of Rs.10,000 crore or so, then thatwill be the real indication that the state is willing to attractinvestors," Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India(Assocham) secretary general D.S. Rawat told reporters here on the sidelines ofa seminar on "Positioning Bengal-Partnering for Growth, Development andSustainable Security".
He said investment proposals to the tune of Rs.5.84 lakh crore were stillpending with the state due to a global economic slowdown coupled with a"wait-and-watch policy" taken by the entrepreneurs in the post-Singurland agitation scenario.
"People also became apprehensive that what has happened to the Nano (car'sSingur) project should not happen to me. And therefore a wait-and-watch policywas adopted," he said.
Tata Motors had pulled out its Nano car project from Singur town in Hooghlydistrict following a strong anti-land acquisition movement there.
"The state should say come what may, they are going to support the projectand it will come up on time," Rawat said.
According to a study released by Assocham, "Job Trends Across Cities andSectors", job creation in Kolkata dipped over 33 percent in the firstquarter of this fiscal as compared to the preceding quarter.
More than 1.5 lakh jobs were generated across India in the fourth quarter ofthe last financial year, of which over 8,200 were generated in the city.
Kolkata's share in total job creation across the country was a paltry 4.3percent as compared with Delhi-national capital region, which accounted forover 23 percent, the study said.