The Singur impasse will be resolved in the next two days, said Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee at the dharna manch.
Lauding the efforts of governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Banerjee said that she welcomed the initiative taken by the government and its results would bear fruit in the next couple of days. Earlier in the day Leader of the Opposition, Partha Chatterjee met the governor.
Becharam Manna, convenor, Krishi Jami Raksha Committee also said that the meeting with the governor was fruitful and the prospects of a settlement seemed more than likely.
“The state government has accepted its defeat against our democratic protest movement,” he added.
Meanwhile the syndicates formed by the local people for work at the project site led protest processions at Singur against Banerjee’s indefinite dharna, after the Tata Motors’ statement yesterday threatening a pullout.
The situation became a little volatile as some clashes took place in the morning between the Trinamool supporters and the syndicates after one of the land-losers, Sushen Santra, who gave land for the project committed suicide following last night’s announcement from Tata Motors on suspension of work.
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Subhash Santra, his son, said that he and his brothers were employed by one of the contractors at the ancillary units.
They were daily wage earners and were getting around Rs 109 a day from the contractor. However, the suspension of work due to the dharna and the uncertainty of the situation led his father to take the extreme step. “We have lost land and now don’t even have jobs. Our earnings had increased after we sold the land with the cash compensation and the combined wages of the family members. But now everything has become uncertain ,” he said.
The family had got Rs 3.5 lakh for two bighas.
Further, an apolitical movement against the dharna from the information technology hub in Kolkata seems to be underway after some representatives from the sector who came in the morning to persuade Banerjee to withdraw the dharna were turned away.
In Kolkata, commenting on the current impasse in Singur, Sandipan Chakraborty, managing director of Tata Ryerson and chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII), eastern region, today said that the situation is rectifiable.
"From CII we feel sorry and sad for the future of industry in West Bengal. The suspension of work is a terrible situation, and the only way to stop this is for political groups to find a solution immediately.", he said adding that the damage is already done.
"Look at the picture of West Bengal the world is getting.", Chakraborty said.
"The solution has to be sustainable. If after two months the same situation recurs, it is problematic.", he said.
On being asked if such a thing could have happened in Maharashtra or Gujrat, Chakraborty said that "It is extremely unlikely that such a thing could have happened there."
"We at CII are extremely worried about the state of West Bengal and its people. Industries in the state will be seriously affected", the chairman of the eastern region claimed.