West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) inaugurated Haldia Petrochemicals Limited ( HPL) ₹6,000 crore phenol and acetone plant at Haldia and emphasised that the State has to become self-reliant from being dependent on doles.

Addressing a gathering in Haldia, Mr. Adhikari said Haldia Petrochemicals had made the country self-reliant, but it had since become “bhata nirbhar” (dependent on doles) and needed to return to being “atma nirbhar” (self-reliant).

The Chief Minister’s remarks come in the context of promoting West Bengal as an investment destination and pointing out that the previous government had only promoted the culture of giving doles to the people. 

Mr. Adhikari said that a committee headed by a group of ministers of the State has submitted a draft industrial policy which details incentives rolled out by the government to industries as well as a land policy. The Chief Minister said that the new industrial policy of West Bengal will be unveiled before Diwali.

He said that the BJP government will come out of the policy of militant trade unionism of the 34 -year-old Left Front government and the withdrawal of incentives to industry of the Trinamool Congress government. Referring to other projects which are in the pipeline, the Chief Minister expressed hope that within a year West Bengal will become an important investment destination in the country.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Adhikari lauded the contribution of Purnendu Chatterjee, chairman of HPL and said that he has a vision for the plant.

“It’s a historic day for us. It’s a God-gifted day,” he said at the inauguration of the new facility in State’s Purba Medinipur district.

Developed under HPL’s subsidiary Adperma Private Limited,the facility will house two firsts for India — the country’s first on-purpose propylene plant based on olefin conversion technology and the country’s largest phenol production unit.

“Seeing this project come to life in Haldia is deeply gratifying. It reflects our long-held conviction in West Bengal’s industrial potential, and I believe Adperma will prove a strong foundation for the next stage of growth in chemicals — one that creates genuine, lasting value for the region and the country,” said Dr. Chatterjee, who is also the Chairman, The Chatterjee Group.

With an annual capacity of 345,000 tonnes of Phenol and 215,000 tonnes of Acetone, the facility is the largest of its kind in India and has been built at a cost of ₹6,000 crore. At present, about 50% of India’s total phenol demand and about 40% of acetone demand are met through imports.

The Chief Minister also referred to industrial accidents at several facilities at Haldia and promised a State-run 50 bed trauma centre at the city by June 2027.