Gautam Adani, the head of the Adani Group, held a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, focusing on ongoing projects. A key topic of discussion was the Tajpur port, and its current status. The Bengal government recently decided to issue a new tender for the port, leading to speculation about the meeting’s purpose.
The meeting’s significance stems from the Tajpur port project, which is estimated to cost Rs 25,000 crore. The West Bengal government recently ended its four-year partnership with the Adani Group regarding this project. This decision was accompanied by the plan to issue a new tender.
The Tajpur port is viewed as a crucial infrastructure project for eastern India, making it a priority for both the West Bengal government and the Adani Group. Both parties have remained tight-lipped regarding the specifics of the meeting.
The meeting lasted for approximately an hour, and the details surrounding the Tajpur port’s status remain unclear. The state government has not confirmed whether the tender previously awarded to the Adani Group has been revoked. This lack of clarity has fueled various interpretations of the meeting’s purpose. The hour-long discussion between CM Mamata and Gautam Adani has raised several questions.
Previous meetings between Gautam Adani and CM Mamata Banerjee have taken place. They met in 2021, and subsequently, Adani participated in the ‘Bengal Global Business Summit’ in 2022.