Nayachar
22°02′N 88°04′E / 22.03°N 88.06°E
District Purba Medinipur | | |
Demographics | ||
---|---|---|
Population | 2500 |
Nayachar is an island in the
Etymology
The Bengali word char means a strip of sandy land rising out of the bed of a river or the sea above water-level. Naya means new.
Description
The island is approximately 64 km2 (25 sq mi).[2] As of 2007[update], the island had approximately 2500 residents across 400 families. The island is officially classed as uninhabited by the government, so residents lack residential rights, addresses, and the ability to vote.[2]
History
In December 1987,
Proposed chemical hub
In 2006, it was proposed that a large
The chemical hub would have been a joint venture between West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and New Kolkata International Development, a group comprising three companies including the Salim Group of Indonesia.[7] Indian Oil Corporation would have been an anchor investor.[8]
The project encountered difficulties. Nayachar comes under the Coastal Regulation Zone where industries are not permitted for environmental reasons.[9] A bridge would have been required to link the island to Haldia.[10]
The state fisheries department had sought the opinion of the Geological Survey of India regarding the island. GSI had said that the soft land of the island was vulnerable to earthquakes, cyclones and tsunamis, although it had not completed a site-specific survey, and geological data in the area had last been updated in 1985.[11][12] Additionally, the fisheries department demanded Rs 220 million from the WBIDC for cancelling its work on Nayachar, to repay a loan it had taken from the Government of India for the purpose.[7]
State Industries Minister Nirupam Sen stated that "The technology to consolidate the soil on such islands is available. They have done it on an island in Singapore," referring to the Salim Group's work on Jurong Island in Singapore.[13][10] On September 14 2007, it was reported that Geological Survey of India would take at least six months to complete a detailed geological study in Nayachar after the Government of West Bengal approved a geo-technical survey.[12]
In 2011, the project was officially scrapped.[14]
References
- ^ "Nayachar project scrapped". Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ The Telegraph, 5 September 2007. Calcutta, India. 5 September 2007. Archived from the originalon 30 September 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "Salim SEZs, 6 others given green signal". Calcutta, India: The Telegraph, 7 October 2006. 7 October 2006. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
- ^ "DM halts land acquisition". The Statesman. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Nandigram's chemical hub shifted to Nayachar". The Times of India. 4 September 2007. Archived from the original on 14 January 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
- ^ "Nayachar hub likely". The Statesman, 4 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ a b "Fisheries dept asks for Rs 22 cr to vacate Nayachar". Indian Express, 6 September 2007. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
- ^ "Bengal identifies three alternative sites for proposed chemical hub". The Hindu Business Line, 4 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "Nandigram's chemical hub shifted to Nayachar". Times of India, 4 September 2007. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ a b "Half a hug on hub - Govt proposes 'iffy' island, Congress not averse". Calcutta, India: The Telegraph, 4 September 2007. 4 September 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
- ^ "State opted for Nayachar ignoring GSI warnings". The Statesman, 6 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
- ^ a b Basu, Jayanta (14 September 2007). "Nayachar long haul". Bengal. Calcutta, India: The Telegraph, 14 September 2007. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2007.
- Ananda Bazar Patrika(in Bengali) print edition, 6 September 2007.
- ^ "Nayachar project scrapped". Retrieved 15 September 2011.