Bhattacharjee at the investors? meet. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, April 17: Tea and tourism is what chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee turned to while he pitched north Bengal as the ideal investment destination before a gathering of the business big guns today.

This part of the state, he insisted, would emerge as a potential industrial hub in the future. The chief minister was speaking at the inauguration of North Bengal Calling, a two-day meeting of investors and entrepreneurs conceived by the CII.

If tea tourism did not sound an interesting cup of tea ? given the bad patch the industry seemed to be going through ? Bhattacharjee immediately added that the Union tourism ministry had agreed to disburse Rs 8 crore to develop two tea tourism units in the region.

The chief minister then used the lure of the ?gardens, golf and wildlife? to churn up interest among his audience, assuring that ?even though tea tourism is a relatively new concept, it holds enormous potential?. ?I appeal to planters to come forward with monetary help,? the chief minister said finally, asking even the tea garden worker to pitch in with productivity.

?The workers should ensure that productivity of a garden does not go down, especially since our tea is facing stiff competition from countries like China, Kenya and Sri Lanka in the international market,? said Bhattacharjee.

Regarding extension of tax waivers to North Bengal, the chief minister said: ?I have recently spoken about the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The northeastern states, Sikkim and now even Himachal and Uttaranchal have been granted this concession. The Prime Minister said the waivers would be extended to all Himalayan states. We are waiting for this to happen.?

If the chief minister needed applause, CII eastern region chairman and managing director of Tisco, B. Muthuraman stepped in to perform the task.

Lauding Bhattacharjee for steering the state towards economic prosperity, Muthuraman echoed the chief minister?s thoughts on north Bengal. ?This part of the state has the potential to contribute greatly to the development of West Bengal and the country.?

If there were any doubts about the revenue sources, IT minister Manab Mukherjee removed much of it. North Bengal, he announced, would soon be having its own software park worth Rs 7,500 crore, thanks to a bouquet of initiatives from entrepreneurs.

Then came B. Sastrawinata of the Indonesia-based Salim Group with the real estate investment plans. ?Like Howrah, we have agreed to invest in real estate promotion in this part of Bengal as well,? he said.

If the dazzling marketing talk was becoming, too, unreal for a bunch of local businessmen who have raised questions about the outcome of last gala industry gathering, municipal affairs and urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya held out hope.

?Tomorrow?s meet will be a follow-up of the ?Destination North Bengal? held in 2003. The state government is also in the process of appointing a consultant to study the untapped potential of this region,? he said.

?The study will also focus on removing infrastructure bottlenecks,? Bhattacharya promised.

If the success of the first day of North Bengal Calling was any doubt, urban development minister cleared it. Investments on 11 projects had been promised, he said, adding that one of them touched a whopping Rs 400 crore.