Kolkata, Sep 24 (IANS) Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani said on Thursday that for several decades, much of India’s economic momentum has been driven by the western and southern corridors of the country, but the next chapter must create new centres of gravity, however challenging it may be. "For India’s next trillion dollars of growth, the East must rise. And this is where Bengal becomes essential to fulfil the vision of Viksit Bharat. And, in my view, no location in India has Bengal’s combination of advantages," Gautam Adani said in his address at the Indian Chamber of Commerce here.Highlighting the strategic advantage that the state enjoys, he pointed out that to Bengal’s west lie the mineral and industrial heartlands of Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. To its north and east lies the gateway to India’s Northeast. Through the Bay of Bengal lie some of the fastest-growing markets of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, with access to 60 per cent of the global GDP and 65 per cent of the global population.

"In the language of infrastructure, Bengal is not simply just another market. It is a strategic national node waiting for the expansion of its potential networks. And this is how, at Adani, we see the promise of Bengal," the billionaire industrialist said.He said that the Adani Group’s commitment to West Bengal goes far beyond individual projects.“Over the coming decade, our intent is to deploy over one lakh crore rupees across Bengal. This will span ports, logistics, power generation, power transmission and distribution, roads, bridges and ropeways, green cement, as well as hyperscale data centres,” Gautam Adani said.He further stated that development cannot ultimately be measured only in cargo volumes, megawatts, tonnes, or terabytes, as its true measure must remain deeply human.He cited this as the driving force behind the group’s commitment to create the Adani Arogya Mandir, a 2,000-bed world-class medical institute in New Town. Half of the beds in this hospital will be dedicated to those who cannot afford quality medical care.

/"But while we build for Bengal’s future, we must also honour what makes Bengal timeless — and that is its ghats, its literature, its architecture, its festivals, and its extraordinary cultural confidence. It is therefore our privilege to support the revitalisation of the iconic Kumartuli Ghat, build a curated Durga Puja programme to celebrate Bengal’s artistes, take Maa to audiences across the world, and support the conservation of the historic Writers’ Building," the Adani Group Chairman said.Recalling the start of his entrepreneurial journey 30 years ago, Gautam Adani said: "Mundra in the West was to become my first karmabhoomi. Today, with the same humility and sense of responsibility, it is my prayer to Maa that Bengal in the East becomes my second karmabhoomi.""Not because Bengal must become another Gujarat -- but because Bengal must become the strongest version of Bengal itself, drawing upon its geography, its intellect, its industrial legacy, and its historic ability to awaken the nation," he added.

/ IANS