World Trade Centre Kolkata

History

1990 proposal

The first WTC was proposed in 1990 in a 223- Acre plot in East Kolkata with corporate offices, residential space, shopping centers and golf courses. But the project did not succeed since it would cover up the East Kolkata wetlands which were protected by court order.

2013 proposal

The Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2013 had shown keen interest in establishing a World Trade Centre (WTC) in Kolkata. For this, Pawan Dhoot, Managing Director, Dhoot Group, invited Eric Dahl, CEO of World Trade Center's Association (WTCA), the largest international trade association and the government ministers and officials in Kolkata. The ground work related to the project never really started under the Dhoot led consortium.

2023 proposal

Merlin Group later in 2023 announced their partnership with the World Trade Centers Association to develop the World Trade Center in Kolkata which would cover an area of 3.5 million square feet. The project’s License Agreement was signed by Scott Wang, Vice President of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) Asia Pacific region, and Merlin Group’s Chairman, Sushil Mohta, and Managing Director, Saket Mohta. Approximately ₹1,500 crore investment proposal was initialized by the company for the implementation of the project. Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, during the industry enclave meet in Mumbai, was approached by the promoters of World Trade Centre Mumbai with a proposal to erect a similar structure in Kolkata.