The West Bengal Land and Revenue Department has decided to conduct a comprehensive survey of unused land held by closed or defunct industrial units across the state, with the aim of identifying viable reuse options and framing a structured policy for their redevelopment. The initiative, driven by the new state government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, marks a deliberate departure from the land-use practices of the previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress (TMC) administrations.

Key Developments

According to a source within the state secretariat at Nabanna, the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation is opposed to the earlier approach of deploying surplus industrial land for real estate development. Instead, the government intends to make these parcels available to investors, MSME clusters, and first-time entrepreneurs with viable project proposals.

'In case any portion in such land parcels is allotted for real estate, it would be the bare minimum and also the last option only if proper investment proposals are not available for some portions within those land parcels for any viable entrepreneurship projects,' the state secretariat insider said.

Direct Land Purchase Policy

The new government has adopted a 'direct land purchase' model, under which the state will directly acquire land from owners and subsequently allot it for industrial or infrastructure use. This policy applies uniformly — whether for industrial promotion, infrastructure development, or land transfers to the Border Security Force (BSF) for security purposes in border-adjacent areas.

Separately, the survey will also cover unused land allotted within special economic zones (SEZs) established during the Left Front era, with a view to unlocking these parcels for industrial development or entrepreneurship promotion.

Three-Point Objective

'The entire objective of the survey for proper utilisation of land for entrepreneurship is based on three main targets — promoting manufacturing and economic activity, employment generation and improving the state's own tax revenue generation,' the secretariat insider said.

This three-pronged framework signals that the Adhikari government is positioning industrial land reform as a fiscal strategy, not merely a policy correction.

Reversing 15 Years of SEZ Stagnation

The policy context is significant. While the Left Front encouraged SEZs in and around Kolkata, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government, as a matter of policy, refused permissions for any fresh SEZs during its entire 15-year tenure from 2011 to 2026. The result, critics argue, was a growing inventory of underutilised industrial land with no clear reuse framework.

The new government has also flagged plans to review and amend the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 (ULCRA), to improve land availability for industrial and infrastructure projects — a legislative step that could have far-reaching implications for how surplus urban land is classified and deployed in West Bengal.

What Comes Next

The survey timeline has not been officially announced, though the state secretariat source indicated the exercise would begin 'soon'. Once completed, findings are expected to feed directly into a concrete land reuse policy. Industry observers will watch closely whether the MSME and first-time entrepreneur focus translates into actionable allotment frameworks, or remains an aspirational directive.