Bengal looks at extending SEZ-type benefits to Infosys project

 The West Bengal government today said it will look at the possibility of extending Special Economic Zone (SEZ)-type benefits to the Infosys project without invoking the special provisions relating to SEZs.

"If the previous government had agreed to grant SEZ status to Infosys, we will have to see how the benefits can be given without taking recourse to the SEZ route," State Industry and IT Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters here.

The West Bengal government, the Minister said, will write to Infosys explaining the state's stand on the company's plea to get the SEZ status for its first unit at Rajarhat.
"We will write a letter to Infosys this week about the state government's stand on SEZ which is sought by the company for its Rajarhat campus," Chatterjee said.

He said the state government's stand was that it would not encourage any SEZ in the state.

The Bangalore-based IT major Infosys had recently written a letter to HIDCO urging SEZ status for the unit. HIDCO, the housing development arm of the state government, allotted 50 acres of land at Rajarhat to the company.

Chatterjee said although the company had not written to the I-T department, the government would write to them.