Taking lessons from Singur and Nandigram, the West Bengal government is trying to minimise use of agricultural land for setting up industry and is in the process of formulating an appropriate compensation and rehabilitation policy in case of land acquisition.
The government has circulated a discussion paper to the ministers belonging to Left Front partners like CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP seeking their opinion for formulating a pro-farmer industrial policy.
The ministers have been asked to give their comment on the draft policy as early as possible, Front sources said.
State Finance Minister Ashim Dasgupta had on Wednesday informed the state Assembly that the government was considering a change in its land acquisition policy for industrialisation purpose to protect farmers’ interest.
Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee had already discussed this with his cabinet colleagues, he said adding it would be the government’s endeavour to see that farmers’ interest was well protected in case of land acquisition.
The paper said, “To minimise usage of agricultural land for industrial use and to achieve a balanced and sustainable industrial growth, the state government was seeking to implement a policy for location of industries in a manner so as to maximise the use of uncultivable land, locate industries in backward areas and develop industrial clusters.”
The state government is conducting a field survey on the vested land available as per records and assessing its viability for industrial usage.
The government is also trying to use the land locked up in closed and sick industries while keeping in view the legal issues and other complications.
CPI state council secretary Manju Kumar Majumder said the paper circulated to the ministers was more or less alright and his party would give its response shortly.
Forward Bloc state general secretary Ashok Ghose, however, said that he could not say anything at this stage. “Whatever our party has to say, we will first give our views to the Left Front.”
In order to create a balanced and sustainable industrial growth and maximise the use of uncultivable land in the state, the government has planned to identify some parts of the state as industrial growth zones for setting up large manufacturing industries. The state government has proposed to create six growth zones, which included greater Kolkata, Damodar-Ajay industrial growth zone, East Midnapore, Haldia, Siligur-Japlaiguri and Kalyani, according to the paper.
In districts like Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, South and North Dinajpur and Cooch Behar, the paper proposes to develop industrial parks for small-scale industries, especially for food processing and agro-based industries and light engineering industries.
The assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Industries recently said that in selection of industrial sites emphasis and priority should be given to non-agricultural, barren, non-fertile continuous lands excluding the portion of village and locality.
