Tajpur port: West Bengal minister says talks are underway with Adani Group, BJP claims the project becomes uncertain

livemint.com:

Adani-owned Adani group was no longer part of the Tajpur port project, West Bengal minister for industries, commerce and enterprises Sashi Panja on Sunday said the project is very much on track and talks are underway with Adani. "The project is very much on the cards and talks are on with the party concerned, i.e. Adani group," she said.

To a query about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claim that the project has become uncertain as the Adani group has pulled out of it, the state minister said that the opposition was making "false claims" without knowing anything about it. Replying to an another query whether there has been any breakdown in talks with the Adani group, Panja said: "There has not been any such development." At the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) on Tuesday, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said that a tender will be launched for the development of the Tajpur deep sea port, triggering speculations that Adani group was no longer part of the project. Previously, the state government had said that the Tajpur port project would be developed by Adani group.

The project initially was intended for Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd (APSEZ) in October 2022 as there were the L1 bidder out of two final bids received. JSW Group was also a contender in that round of bidding. Addressing the delegates at the BGBS, Banerjee had said that there are 12 "game-changing opportunities" in Bengal.

"First is the proposed deep-sea port at Tajpur, which is ready for tender. You can participate in the tender, and this will attract an investment of USD 3 billion or ₹25,000 crore," she had said. The absence of the Adani group from the BGBS also raised questions about their role in the Tajpur port project.