West Bengal’s industrialisation drive received a major boost on Friday with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari laying the foundation stone for Shyam Steel Group’s ambitious expansion project at its Mejia plant in Bankura district. The company announced a total investment of ₹15,000 crore, including a ₹10,000-crore, 2-million-tonne-per-annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant, which is expected to create more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs and increase the group’s steel production capacity from 1.5 MTPA to 3.5 MTPA.
The project forms the centrepiece of the state government’s claim that it has attracted over ₹28,000 crore worth of investments and investment proposals within just two-and-a-half months of assuming office.
The foundation stone-laying ceremony was attended by BJP West Bengal president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya, Bishnupur MP Soumitra Khan, Bankura MP Khudiram Tudu, Commerce and Industry Minister Tapas Roy, Public Works Minister Ajay Kumar Poddar, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Ajay Gupta, Transport and Labour Minister Arjun Singh, Vandana Yadav, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises, senior government officials and industry representatives. Shyam Steel Manufacturing Ltd directors Manish Beriwala and Lalit Beriwala were also present.
The proposed integrated steel plant will comprise a Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) unit, pellet and beneficiation plant, steel melting shop and high-speed rolling mill for manufacturing TMT bars and structural steel. According to the company, the expansion will significantly enhance domestic steel production and contribute to the objectives of the National Steel Policy.
While the integrated steel plant itself entails an investment of ₹10,000 crore, the company said it would invest an additional ₹5,000 crore across allied sectors, including industrial equipment, fabrication, paints and coatings, real estate, industrial townships, infrastructure, construction chemicals and engineering, taking its overall investment commitment in West Bengal to ₹15,000 crore.
Established in 1953 and headquartered in Kolkata, Shyam Steel has an annual turnover of over ₹10,000 crore and employs more than 25,000 people. The company supplies steel to major infrastructure projects executed by agencies such as NHAI, Indian Railways, AAI, IOC, ONGC and BHEL.
Addressing the gathering, company director Lalit Beriwala said the investment reflected the group’s long-term commitment to West Bengal’s industrial resurgence and would help generate employment, strengthen manufacturing and accelerate economic growth in the state.
According to figures released by the BJP’s West Bengal unit, the state’s investment pipeline also includes a ₹4,500-crore proposed AI data centre by Larsen & Toubro, ₹2,300 crore by ITC Ltd for production and business expansion, a ₹1,600-crore housing project by Berger Paints and Peerless, ₹832.25 crore by JSW Infrastructure for the Kolkata Dock System, ₹650 crore by Amul for dairy infrastructure and processing, a ₹600-crore investment by Lux Industries at Dankuni and a ₹100-crore IT and ITES campus by Fusion CX.
The government has also highlighted proposals by Mitsubishi for a semiconductor fabrication unit in Durgapur or Panagarh and by the Adani Group for a deep-sea port and a ₹2,500-crore Adani Arogya Mandir super-speciality hospital and medical college.
While the cumulative value of projects with announced investment figures exceeds ₹28,000 crore, the projects are at different stages of implementation. The Shyam Steel project formally entered the execution phase with Friday’s foundation stone-laying ceremony, while several others remain proposed investments or announced expansion plans awaiting statutory approvals.
The Mejia project is expected to strengthen Bankura’s emergence as a manufacturing hub, boost steel production in eastern India and generate large-scale employment, while reinforcing the state government’s efforts to attract fresh private investment into West Bengal.