After a marathon interface between the West Bengal government and the leader of the Opposition on Singur, the state government has conveyed its inability to return the 400 acres acquired from unwilling farmers for the Tata Motors Rs 1 lakh car plant there.
Briefing the media, state commerce and industry minister, Nirupam Sen, said that the state government has explained the difficulties in returning the 400 acres.
“Trinamul Congress said there are ways and we have asked them to submit documents,” said Sen.
In response, Trinamul Congress (TC) chief Mamata Banerjee said, “We will continue with our agitation as the government is not sincere- it must agree in principle to return 400 acres and we will show where and how the land can be handed back to farmers”.
Banerjee had nominated Partha Chatterjee, the TC state Assembly leader of the Opposition, and Purnendu Bose, to represent her at the talks.
The industry minister indicated that there would be further meetings and dialogue though the date had not been fixed.
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Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was also present at the meeting along with commerce and industry secretary, Sabyasachi Sen, and West Bengal Industrial and Development Corporation (WBIDC) managing director, Subroto Gupta.
Sen said, Bhattacharjee had requested that the siege around Singur, the Tata Motors project site for Nano, from August 24, in abeyance.
TC rejected the request.
Emerging from the meeting, Partha Chatterjee said that he would brief his leader Mamata Banerjee about the meeting, but said he had insisted that the 400 acres be returned to farmers who had not yet accepted compensation.
He added that TC was committed to the people and would continue with its indefinite dharna from August 24.
Sen said that the Opposition was not against the setting up of the mother plant by Tata Motors, which would require 650 acres, but wanted the ancillary units to be shifted to a nearby location so that the 400 acres could be returned to the farmers.
WBIDC has leased 645 acres to Tata Motors to set up its own plant and earmarked 290 acres adjacent to the mother plant for vendors’ plants.
The location of the vendor park was to ensure “just in time’ delivery, the key to Nano’s price tag of Rs 1 lakh.
The components to be manufactured at the vendor park would include crankshafts, differential assembly, gearbox, engine gears, radiators, seats, stampings and lamps, apart from a steel service centre.