New Delhi, Dec. 27: Bengal will know by January 26 who its next governor will be, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said today.

“I discussed it (the gover- nor’s appointment) with the PM. I cannot disclose the details. The appointment of a full-time governor will be done before Republic Day,” he told a news conference at Banga Bhavan in New Delhi.

Bhattacharjee had called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday morning.

At a meeting with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee yesterday evening, the chief minister said, he had sought the Centre’s help to revive the state’s jute industry, ensure co-existence of coal and industry in the Raniganj-Asansol belt and increase navigability of Haldia port.

The rapid decrease in the Hooghly’s depth has already made the port inaccessible to large ships. Any further reduction will mean its death.

“Desilting should be started before it is too late. The silt is not only affecting Bengal’s economy but also of the north-eastern states and Jharkhand,” the chief minister said.

A strong lobby of synthetic fibre manufacturers is hamp-ering efforts to revive the jute industry, he complained. “I have demanded a jute policy from the Union textile ministry to encourage exports. Jute bags have demand in Europe,” he said.

Scores of jute mills in the state are shut now because of a strike called by the labour unions demanding dues and other benefits.

He also iterated his concern about Coal India’s objections to almost every big-ticket industrial project in the Raniganj-Asansol region. “I requested the PM to find a way out …. There are several big industries already in the area. Mining is important, but there has to be some construction at the same time.”

Bhattacharjee has submitted documents and a map of the region to the Prime Minister. He said more papers would be sent to find a way to ensure industries could come up and the coal reserves protected.

Appeal to Trinamul

The chief minister appealed to the Trinamul Congress to attend meetings called by the district administration to end political violence in the state.

“The problem is not across Bengal but in Hooghly (district) and one block of Burdwan (district),” he said.

Asked about a CD purportedly showing joint Trinamul-Maoist public meetings, which a CPM team gave the Prime Minister recently, Bhattacharjee said: “He knows. He is a knowledgeable man.”