In what could derail is the proposed 32-km broad gauge line project, connecting parts of Howrah and Hooghly districts of West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has developed a cold feet on land acquisition. Ironically, the proposed Baragachia-Chapadanga railway line project, involving about 530 acres of land, was envisaged in 2009 when Banerjee was the railway minister. The project even found a mention in Banerjee’s vision 2020 document for the Indian Railways. So much so that the previous state government, led by the CPI(M), agreed to Banerjee's proposal that the railway ministry will bear two-third of the land acquisition cost and the state government will fund the rest. Primary notifications for acquisition of land in parts of Howrah and Hooghly under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 were also circulated by the then state government.
But now the land acquisition process has come to a standstill as the Trinamool Congress-led government is dragging its feet on land acquisition.
“This is not a special railway project, where railway acquires land. Here the state is acquiring land. We have made our contribution. Now, the state has to make its contribution. It's not that there has been some agitation by the locals there. There was not a single such report,” a railway official said.
According to spokesperson of South-Eastern Railway, it has so far made a payment of '23.62 crore for land acquisition. “We are committed to fund two-third of land acquisition cost. We have made payments whenever we were asked to,” the spokesperson said.
The state has to acquire about 430 acres and 100 acres of land in Hooghly and Howrah, respectively. However, it is yet to acquire any land for the project.
Moreover, the primary notifications for land acquisition which were issued by the Left Front government last year, have expired due to government's dilly-dally.
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The state issued primary notifications for land in Jagatballavpur, Jhingra, Sadipara and Telihati of Howrah in 2010. As part of the process, the state had to issue another notification under section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act within a year, which was not done.
Same has happened in Ganeshbati, Prasadpur and Chakpur areas of the Hooghly district where primary notifications for land acquisition were issued during August-September last year. This means, the state will have to issue fresh notifications under section 4 again to acquire land.
According to Hooghly district officials, Assembly elections initially delayed the process. Once, the new government came to power, it was approached for the necessary approval to issue further notification under section 6 of Land Acquisition Act.
But, the files are still lying with the state land department.
Incidentally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself is in the charge of the state land department.