As IT bellwether company Infosys seeks a special economic status to its Rajarhat project, its first in West Bengal, state Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee Monday said the Mamata Banerjee government is against special economic zones (SEZs).

“We are against the SEZ. The state government is against the SEZs in West Bengal,” Chatterjee told media persons here.

Infosys, India’s second largest IT services provider, had recently urged the state government’s housing development arm HIDCO to provide SEZ status to its Rajarhat project. HIDCO had allotted the company 50 acres in 2010.

N.R. Narayana Murthy, chairman emeritus of the IT major, during his recent visit to the industry hungry state, has said it was waiting for the government to fulfil “certain conditions” when asked about its plans on the Rajarhat project.

The statement prompted suggestions that he was referring to lack of clarity on the state government’s stand on conferring SEZ status on the project.

Asked about possibility of according SEZ status to the project, Chatterjee said: “What can we do? Our stand on SEZ is well known.”

He, however, said they will “try to help the IT sector survive in the state”.

Chatterjee said the government will write a letter to the company this week about its stand on SEZ status sought by the company for its Rajarhat campus.

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