The Indian Plastics Federation (IPF) revealed on Monday its intention to establish at least two more poly parks in West Bengal, in addition to the existing Sankrail poly park. This initiative comes in response to growing demand and fresh capital expenditure in the sector, despite ongoing anti-plastic sentiments from certain groups.
The federation also disclosed plans to address the skilled labor shortage by launching a skill development center at the Sankrail facility, which is currently awaiting approval from the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
“Over the next few years, we have earmarked approximately ₹3,000 crore for capital expenditure, which could create around 200,000 new jobs in the state. In light of this demand, the establishment of additional poly parks is essential. One park is planned for Uluberia, covering a 50-acre site, while we are actively searching for another location along the Durgapur Highway,” stated IPF President Lalit Agarwal during the 65th Annual General Meeting.
Agarwal noted that the infrastructure for the skill development center at the Sankrail poly park is ready and awaiting NSDC’s green light. IPF Secretary Shyam Lal Agarwal added that the new investments are anticipated to boost the state’s GDP by ₹20,000 crore, on top of the existing ₹35,000 crore generated by approximately 5,500 units in the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, which provide direct and indirect employment for around 500,000 people.
Agarwal emphasized that the IPF is taking various initiatives to raise awareness about plastic disposal, and he noted that the government’s mandate for packaging companies to focus on recycling will help mitigate environmental risks and encourage reuse.
Amit Kumar Agarwal highlighted that domestic demand for toys has surged since the central government’s restrictions on Chinese imports, with around 50% of toys now produced in India, a significant increase from the previous 2-3%.
