Social infrastructure
Among Indian states, West Bengal has maintained an Human Development Index (HDI)
rank of 8 in the Human Development Report (2001).This can be attributed to the
State Government's thrust on rural development, land reforms, a supportive
social infrastructure system and empowering local governance institutions.
West Bengal has a population of over 80 million (Census 2001), which makes it the fourth most
populated Indian state. Its population density of 903 persons per sq km is the highest in the
country. The state's population grew by 17.8 per cent during 1991 -2001, lower than the
national growth rate of 21.3 per cent during the same period. The urban population of the
state stood at 22.48 million, 28.3 per cent of its total population.
EducationWest Bengal has a strong education network consisting of 9 universities, over
300 colleges and 49,851 primary and 7,697 secondary schools (2002-03).The
literacy rate in the state increased from 58 per cent in 1991 to over 68.6 per
cent in 2004.
West Bengal has 53 engineering colleges, including one of the 6 Indian
Institutes of Technology (IIT) at Kharagpur, 54 technical training institutes, 7
medical institutes, 5 pharmacy institutes and 17 management institutes. The management institutes also includes the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata,
one of the top management institutes in the country.
HealthWest Bengal's network of health facilities comprises 429 hospitals and 9,393
health centres. The state's hospitals have 71,328 in-patient beds. Recently, the
state has seen some significant private participation in healthcare facilities. Apollo
Hospitals Group has set up a 325 bed, multi-speciality
hospital in Kolkata with an investment of US$ 47 million with financial
participation from a Singapore based investor.
PowerWest Bengal is among the few states in India with surplus availability of
electricity.The state has an installed electricity generation capacity of 5,680
MW of which over 1,000 MW was added in the past five years.
Source: West Bengal Statistical Handbook 2002
Around 97 per cent of electricity generated in the state is from thermal
sources.
Electricity consumption in West Bengal has increased from over 5 billion kWh
in 1993-94 to 1 1 billion kWh in 2001-02. Industrial and domestic consumption
represent the two-most important categories in the consumption of electricity.
Source: West Bengal Statistical Handbook 2002
The share of electrified villages in West Bengal has increased from 77 per
cent in 1999-2000 to 81 per cent in 2001 -02.
A number of projects are under various stages of implementation. Their aggregate capacity is 2,270 MW.
|
Electricity generation projects under implementation
|
|
Project |
Capacity (MW)
|
|
Purulia Hydroelectric Project |
900 (4x225)
|
|
Rammam Hydel Project |
90 (3x30)
|
|
Gouripore Thermal Project |
150(2x125)
|
|
BakreshwarThermal Project |
630(3x210)
|
|
CESC, Budge Budge |
500
|
|
Total |
2270
|
Access infrastructure
The total length of roads in West Bengal is over 92,023 km. West Bengal's
road density is 103.69 km per 100 sq km, higher than the national average of 74.7 km per 100 sq
km. The total length of national highways passing
through the state is 2,325 km.
|
Growth in road network |
|
Year
|
1993
|
1996
|
1999
|
2002
|
|
Total length (in km)
|
58,554
|
77,579
|
79,255
|
92,023
|
|
Surfaced length (in km)
|
34,532
|
45,569
|
44,970
|
49,517
|
Source: Ministry of
Road Transport & Highways, Government of India
The State Government has been working on improving the road infrastructure.
Currently, a total of 764 km of national highways are being upgraded to 4/6 lane
highways under National Highways Development Programme (NHDP). The state is
improving connectivity to Haldia port, the principal gateway for international
trade from West Bengal by widening the national highway link that connects the
port with the main highway network. West Bengal has two of the largest privately
financed BOT highway projects in India. The projects involve an investment of
approximately US$ 200 million and are being implemented by a Malaysian
consortium led by Gamuda Berhad. Further, the State Government proposes to
develop a North South Economic Development Corridor connecting the northern
hinterland of the state with the industrial regions of the south. The project,
estimated to cost US$ 210 million, is to be implemented with the assistance of
the Asian Development Bank.
The total length of railway network in West Bengal is 3,681 km. Of this,
1,700 km is an electrified track. At present, an additional 240 km of railway
lines are being laid in the state. The total outlay on these projects is
estimated to be US$ 160 million. In addition, US$ 60 million is being invested
in capacity enhancement on various routes.
West Bengal has an international airport at Kolkata and a domestic airport at
Bagdogra. Currently, the Kolkata airport is being modernised with an investment
of US$ 30 million. This includes the development of a new integrated cargo
complex.
|
Growth in air traffic
|
|
Airport |
2001 -02 |
2002-03
|
2003-04* |
|
Kolkata |
2,561,302 |
2,826,794
|
3,222,086 |
|
Bagdogra |
112,597 |
130,126
|
146,652 |
|
Total |
2,673,899 |
2,956,920
|
3,366,738 |
@ Annualised
Source: Airports Authority of India
Port infrastructure in the state comprises two major ports, at Kolkata and
Haldia. During the past five years, cargo handled by both ports has increased
from 3 1 million tonnes to 41 million tonnes. Currently, both ports are being
modernised and upgraded to cope with the growth in cargo.The Haldia port
recently commissioned one berth under a BOT project costing US$ 33 million.
Another BOT berth project is under implementation with an investment of US$ 8
million. An outlay of over US$ 60 million has been proposed to upgrade the
port.The Kolkata port is also being modernised with an investment of US$ 32
million.The State Government further plans to improve the draft of Kolkata port
to enable it to handle large vessels. The project is estimated to cost US$ 80
million.
In 2004, the West Bengal Government signed an agreement with a consortium led
by P&O, UK, for development of a third port in the state - the Kulpi
port.The port will cover a total area of over 3,000 acres and will have a
Special Economic Zone.
|
Growth in port traffic |
|
Port
|
1999-00
|
2000-01
|
2001-02
|
2002-03
|
2003-04
|
|
Kolkata
|
10.3
|
7.2
|
5.4
|
7.2
|
8.7
|
|
Haldia
|
20.7
|
22.8
|
25.0
|
28.6
|
32.4
|
|
Total
|
31.0
|
30.0
|
30.4
|
35.8
|
41.1
|
Source: Kolkata Port Authority
Communications infrastructure
In the past decade, telecommunication services have developed significantly
in West Bengal. The number of fixed wire telephone subscribers has grown from 0.5
million in 1995 to 2.3 million in 2002.
|
Growth in fixed wire telephones
|
|
Year |
1995 |
1997
|
1999 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
Fixed wire telephone (in '000) |
493 |
749
|
1,269 |
1,973 |
2,306 |
Source: CMIE, Infrastructure Report 2004
The growth in cellular mobile telephony has shown better performance in the
state. Cellular services in the state were launched in 1999 and the number of
subscribers had increased to over 8.5 million by 2004.
Industrial infrastructure
The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has developed over
30 industrial estates in various parts of the state.These include estates in and
around Kolkata, Haldia, Durgapur and Asansol. These estates focus on IT and ITES,
petrochemicals, chemical based industries and steel based industries. A total of
1,300 hectares of industrial land is currently available with WBIDC across the
state for establishment of new industrial units.
KolkataKolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of West Bengal and the
main commercial and financial centre in eastern and north-eastern India. Kolkata
is the base for a number of foreign and Indian firms, banks and financial
institutions. Kolkata has an international airport and a port complex. The region
around Kolkata has a number of chemical, jute and leather units. Kolkata is also
an emerging IT and ITES hub.
Haldia regionHaldia is a prominent port and industrial centre in West Bengal, located near
the south-eastern tip of the state. The Haldia region, administered by the Haldia
Development Authority (HDA), provides quality industrial infrastructure for
large and medium enterprises. At present, HDA has over 1,600 hectares of land
under its jurisdiction and provides industrial plants with requisite infrastructure such as land, electricity, water &
sewerage and solid waste management. It also offers the necessary financial and
social infrastructure for locating residential townships for industrial plants.
In the last decade, Haldia has emerged as the principal industrial centre in
West Bengal, particularly for chemical and petrochemical industries. Industrial
units located in Haldia are involved in oil refining, petrochemicals, specialty
chemicals, plastics, food processing and building and packaging products. Haldia
enjoys good access to other parts of the state through railway, road and water
transport services.
Asansol - Durgapur regionThe Asansol - Durgapur region is located around 150 km
north of Kolkata. The region is rich in mineral resources like coal, iron ore,
copper and bauxite and has industrial units producing iron & steel,
engineering goods, electrical equipment, among others. Prominent industrial
units in the region include the steel plant at Durgapur, an alloy steel plant
and the railway locomotive plant at Chittaranjan.
The West Bengal Government is promoting the development of this region as an industrial centre
with integrated infrastructure. The Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) is setting up
an Export Promotion Industrial Park at a cost of US$ 3 million. The target industries for this park
are steel-based, software, electronics, leather, pharmaceuticals, agro-based and other non-polluting industries. Electricity
and water supply in the region are also being upgraded to attract investment.
Special Economic Zones (SEZs)West Bengal has an operational Special Economic Zone at Falta. A greenfield SEZ is proposed
to be developed at Kulpi (next to the proposed port). The units located in the Falta SEZ produce
engineering goods, processed food items, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals. Exports from
Falta increased from US$ 16 million in 1999 to US$ 1 16 million in 2003. A majority of these
exports were to the USA, Hong Kong and Russia.
Agri - Export Zones (AEZs)West Bengal has set up eight Agri - Export Zones in the past few
years. The AEZs
are focused on processing mangoes, pineapples and potatoes and provide critical
infrastructure such as cold chains, perishable food products' cargo complexes
and other equipment required for food processing units.
The AEZs also facilitate the development of an end-to-end system for value added agricultural
products. These include:
-
Permitting AEZ units to provide inputs and equipment to farmers in the
domestic tariff area
-
Custom duty benefits on the cost of pre-production cost (such as
fertilisers)
-
Availability of packing credit from banks
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