A high-level delegation of state commerce and industries department inspected the present conditions of the closed factories in Asansol on Friday.

The team inspected three factories – Cycle Corporation of India (CCI) in Sen Raleigh, Kesoram Industries in Kulti and Hindustan Cables Limited (HCL) factory in Rupnarayanpur, all situated in Asansol sub-division of West Burdwan district.

In recent times, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has emphasised that the state government is keen to set up new industries in place of closed factories and the former chief secretary has also sent a letter to the Centre in this regard.

The state wants the central government to return the land of these closed central public sector factories in West Bengal. These huge industrial land banks will be used to lure investors in the state.

The high-level delegation comprised special secretary of commerce and industry, additional secretary of industry, SDLLRO of Asansol, BLLRO of Salanpur among others.

R N Ojha, officer of closed Hindustan Cables Limited (HCL) factory in Rupnarayanpur accompanied them during the field inspection.

Though on records, Hindustan Cables closed factory has 947.27 acre of land, of which 600 acre is free, while 108 acre has been encroached upon. In 1950, the West Bengal government handed the land to set up industry to the Union government. But the Centre permanently closed the factory in 2017.

In Jitpur and Upper Kesia areas, about 400 acre of land is available.

The state has already urged the centre to return the land of the closed factory in Rupnarayanpur.

For the past three years, the state has stopped the annual tax collection of Rs 25 lakh from HCL. In the past the Ordnance Factory Board has also shown interest to set up a factory on the unused HCL land.

In Kulti, the officials have inspected 70 acre of land of closed Kesoram Industries. Even the land of Cycle Corporation of India (CCI) in Sen Raleigh has also been inspected with most of the land being encroached upon over the decades.

All these three units were famous industries in the past and were globally known and recognized.

Last year, the state government acquired the land of the closed Dhakeswari Cotton Mills in Burnpur and handed it over to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) to set up an industrial cluster in Burnpur, West Burdwan.

The top-level visits of government officials today in these areas have rekindled hopes of fresh investments and employment opportunities in these regions amongst the local people.