Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday laid the foundation stone for a thermal power plant in West Midnapore’s Shalbani, once synonyms with Maoist terror, on the very land where a major steel project was envisioned but ultimately stalled following a Maoist ambush targeting the then chief minister Budhhadeb Bhattacharjee’s convoy 16 years ago.
Now, in a move signaling a transformative chapter for Shalbani, Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation for not only a 1,600 MW thermal power plant but also a 2,000-acre industrial park. The event aims to reignite industrial momentum in a region long shadowed by violence and missed opportunities.
That day, November 8, 2008, Bhattacharjee narrowly escaped a deadly IED blast while returning from Shalbani. His convoy, which also included Union steel minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s vehicle, was targeted by the outlawed outfit, effectively halting any industrial momentum in the area under a cloud of fear and political caution for nearly two decades.
The new project, a ₹16,000 crore venture by Sajjan Jindal’s JSW Energy, will establish two 800 MW power plants.
Now, more than 16 years later, the same soil that bore witness to violence is poised to power progress. Mamata called the project “historic,” noting that it would not only benefit Shalbani but also the state’s 23 districts.
“This is a landmark project in Bengal. The state will purchase the power generated. The agreement has already been signed. Such a project has never been attempted in eastern India,” she said, assuring that it would be environmentally sustainable.
The initiative was first announced during the Bengal Global Business Summit 2025, with the Jindal group promising substantial investment and local employment. Around 15,000 people are expected to be employed directly through this project, with further economic benefits rippling across roughly 30 surrounding villages. These include families who had once given up their land in anticipation of a large-scale factory that never materialised— until now.
Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly, also Bengal’s brand ambassador, were present at the foundation ceremony. “The Jindals have already started transforming Shalbani. In the next five years, this place will witness massive development,” he said.
Sajjan Jindal, speaking at the event, emphasised his commitment to the community. “This land belongs to the farmers. Didi (Mamata) has always reminded me of that. We’ll ensure local employment and an environmentally clean project,” he said.
Jindal praised Mamata’s leadership, calling her a rare figure “among lakhs of leaders.”
The Bengal CM also announced broader energy and industrial development plans, including new power plants in Bakreshwar-Durgapur and Santaldih, totaling investments worth ₹48,000 crore. Six new economic corridors and major industrial collaborations in Purulia were also revealed, alongside state-run skill development centers to train the local workforce.
What was once a place marred by insurgency and stalled ambitions is now set to become a hub of power and possibility— a remarkable turnaround for Shalbani, where history is being rewritten, not with conflict, but with construction.
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