The Left Front has worked out a special compensation package to accommodate farmers who had not accepted compensation for land acquired for the 997-acre factory complex to build Tata Motors’ Nano at Singur, 40 km from Kolkata.
The cause of the farmers was being championed for the last 10 days by Trinamool Congress (TC) leader Mamata Banerjee and her allies from their 21 protest platforms around the factory wall, leading to closure of work at the plant from August 29.
The package was likely to offer a bundle of options like enhanced compensation, annuity scheme and some sort of job assurance for one member from each distressed family.
The issue of alternative land could also be brought to the negotiating table if the opposition wanted it and the government would try to accommodate that request to the extent possible, said a source.
The package was one of the three decisions taken this afternoon at a meeting of the state Left Front.
The Left Front also formally indicated its acceptance of the settlement proposal suggested by Governor Gopal Gandhi though it reserved comment on the presence of a neutral mediator.
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The third decision was to empower Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to convene a meeting of all parties on the Singur issue.
“The Left Front welcomes the positive role of the governor and the Trinamool chief,” said Left Front Chairman Biman Bose.
In a parallel development, TC leader of the opposition in Parliament Partha Chatterjee met the governor today for the third consecutive day ostensibly to discuss issues related to "madrasas" in the state but Singur is understood to have featured at the meeting.
Bhattacharjee and industries minister Nirupam Sen rushed to Raj Bhavan at 6 pm to brief Gandhi on the details and understand from him the issues raised by TC on the land acquisition.
Bose, also the Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary, said the Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc as Front partners had submitted proposals to the Left Front on the rehabilitation package for land losers at Singur.
“RSP and Forward Bloc have given the proposals in writing and CPI orally,” he said.
The Front will forward its proposals to the state government and the chief minister for consideration.
Bose said the state government had to guarantee sustainable economic rehabilitation so that farmers’ income was no less than what they used to get from the lands that was acquired.
“If one family member gets a job and the compensation money is kept in the bank to generate further income, substantial income from the family can be guaranteed,” he said.
Bose declined to comment on Banerjee’s proposal of shifting the ancillary units for the Tata Motors plant to a 500-acre land allegedly owned by some promoters close to the CPI-M and construction of an underpass connecting the main plant with the units.