Buddhadeb-Tata talks to be held on Friday

By Special Correspondent
KOLKATA: Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is scheduled to hold talks with Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Group, here on Friday to discuss the future of the Tata Motors project at Singur.
“The project’s future does not depend only on the assurances of the State government for, there are various stakeholders involved. But there is no lacking in the sincerity of our efforts to ensure that work at the project site is resumed,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said here on Tuesday.
He was addressing a press conference at the end of an all-party meeting, where a resolution was adopted requesting the Tata Motors and the ancillary industries to resume work at Singur as soon as possible. It contained an appeal to all sections to create a congenial atmosphere.
The resolution also focussed on the need to implement rehabilitation and compensation packages for the affected farmers as well as take initiatives for the development of the area.
While the principal Opposition, the Trinamool Congress, and its ally, the Socialist Unity Centre of India, did not attend the meeting convened by the government, the Congress refused to endorse the resolution “for the present.”
The Tata Motors announced suspension of work on September 2 in view of continued confrontation and agitation at the site. This came in the wake of the “satyagraha” outside the project area by the Trinamool Congress from August 24 in support of its demand that 400 acres of land acquired for the project be returned to farmers who had not received compensation for their plots.
The agitation was lifted following a meeting between Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee held in the presence of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi here on September 7. Ms. Banerjee, however, subsequently threatened to resume the agitation unless the September 7 agreement between her associates and the government, pertaining to providing land to “unwilling” farmers, was “operationalised.”
Mr. Bhattacharjee refuted claims of the Trinamool and the Congress that his government failed to abide by the agreement.
The government offered 40 acres from within the project site area to be returned to the farmers who had not accepted compensation, but that was raised to 70 acres “as this, it was felt, was the maximum that could be provided [from within the site] without impacting the integrated nature of the mother plant and ancillary units,” he said.
“In no way had the government moved away from the agreement; there was no talk of agreeing to provide 200 to 300 acres [as is being claimed by the Trinamool Congress]. What was agreed on was providing [to the farmers] 70 acres,” he said.
Mr. Bhattacharjee hoped that good sense would prevail on the Congress leadership that declined to endorse the resolution.
“It is unfortunate that it is not realising the integrated character of the project and is arguing for shifting of some ancillary units. It is not just Tata Motors; we too feel that such a move will affect the very viability of the project,” he asserted.(END) Source The Hindu

All-party talks sans solution

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, Sept. 30: The state government’s bid to salvage the Nano project hit another roadblock with the Congress turning its back on the chief minister, refusing to support the resolution moved by him at the all-party meeting which appealed to Tata Motors to resume work at Singur. A furious chief minister found “reflection of the Trinamul Congress’ stand” in this overnight change of stance by the Congress leadership which came after Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee met Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. The all-party meeting was called by the government at the behest of the Congress ahead of Mr Bhattacharjee’s meeting with Mr Ratan Tata slated for 3 October. The outcome of the all-party meeting was particularly embarrassing for the state government as it failed to muster support from any Opposition party save the BJP, which again does not have any representative in the Assembly. The Trinamul Congress, along with the SUCI, boycotted the meeting, demanding implementation of the Raj Bhavan accord.Mr Subrata Mukherjee, who represented the Congress at the meeting, said: “When the state government has agreed to part with 70 acres, why can't the quantum of land be increased to 170 or 270 acres. The Tatas should be asked to move out a part of the ancillaries ... We are not supporting the resolution for the time being.” Congress president, Mr PR Dasmunshi's letter to the chief minister echoed the same arguments put forward by Miss Banerjee, although last week he had said that the government had erred in entering into the Raj Bhavan accord. Referring to the letter, Mr Bhattacharjee said: “I do not know if this is an unanimous stand of their party leaders. However, the Congress said it is not supporting the resolution at present. Hopefully, good sense would prevail.” The resolution read that the participants were expressing concern over the suspension of work at Singur and appealed to Tata Motors and ancillaries to resume work, as well as to the people in general to ensure a congenial atmosphere for construction of the plant. The government once again clarified that it was not possible to provide more than 70 acres within the project site or to provide alternative land to the land losers. Industries minister Mr Nirupam Sen said the package offered by the state government was better than the provisions of a new Bill moved by the Centre. Trinamul chief Miss Banerjee met Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi today on the Singur issue and demanded Central intervention in West Bengal under Article 355 of the Constitution to “protect” the interests of farmers there, PTI adds from New Delhi.

Priya criticises Mamata for demanding invocation of Art 355
Statesman News Service

MALDA, Sept. 30: The West Bengal PCC chief Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi today criticised the Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee for demanding invocation of Article 355 in West Bengal.“We support some points raised by Miss Mamta Banerjee on the Singur issue but not her demand for the invocation of Article 355 in the state,” Mr Das Munshi said here today. Downplaying Miss Banerjee's criticism against the Congress for agreeing to attend the all-party meeting convened by the state government in Kolkata today, the Congress leader said: “Those who were in the Congress but siding with the CPI-M are now with Miss Banerjee.”The PCC chief, however, added that he did not mind Miss Banerjee meeting Mrs Sonia Gandhi. “Any person can meet Mrs Gandhi,” he said. Supporting Miss Banerjee's demands on Singur, the Union minister said that the state government should have to execute the accord signed in presence of the Governor Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi to resolve the Singur crisis.“The state government hurriedly published the package but failed to manage the overall situation,” he said adding: “Still 21 ancillary industries have not set up their units in the Nano project site. There is sufficient land left to be returned to the farmers unwilling to offer land for the project,” he claimed. The Union minister also said the Tata Motors should respond to the farmers’ demand and plight to resolve the Singur impasse. “I shall write a letter to Mr Ratan Tata soon pointing out the problems and offering proposals to resolve the crisis,” the minister, said. (END) Source : The Statesman

All-party meeting on Singur today

By Special Correspondent
Kolkata: The West Bengal government has convened an all-party meeting here on Tuesday to find ways torestore normality in Singur so that Tatas can resume work on the car project there.
The meeting, however, will not be attended by the State’s principal Opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, that has been spearheading an agitation demanding return of 400 acres of land [300 acres from within the site] acquired for the project to farmers who have not accepted compensation for their plots.

Call for consensus
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is keen that the major political parties in the State reach a consensus in support of the project at Singur prior to his meeting with Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group, the date for which is yet to be finalised.
There have been apprehensions of Tata Motors pulling out of Singur ever since work was suspended at the site on September 2 in view of continued confrontation and agitation by the Trinamool Congress and its allies.
The agitation was lifted after a meeting between the Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on September 7. But the latter has threatened to resume the agitation unless an agreement between her associates and the State government on the land issue is implemented.
On Monday, Ms. Banerjee ruled out her party’s participation in any all-party meeting that the government convenes till the latter decides to implement the agreement signed on September 7.
“If the agreement is operationalised, we have no problems sitting for talks on any technical matter but not on the question of the package [proposed by the State government for the rehabilitation of the affected farmers of Singur],” she said.

Congress to attend meet
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the Congress had decided to attend the meeting. It would have been better had the meeting been called before the process of land acquisition for the project started, Mr. Dasmunsi said.

(END) Source : The Hindu

Mamata sets out for Sonia

- Cong refuses to confirm Janpath meeting
Sept. 29: Mamata Banerjee left for Delhi today to meet Sonia Gandhi and complain about how the Bengal government was “going against the agreement” it had signed with her on September 7 to end the Singur impasse.
“As the Prime Minister is abroad, I have decided to call on Soniaji…. I shall submit to her all the papers concerning the pact signed between the government and us in front of the governor to show her how the CPM is going back on its own decision to arrange land for unwilling farmers from within the project area,” Mamata said.
The Trinamul Congress said the meeting at Sonia’s 10 Janpath residence was scheduled for Tuesday evening.
Congress sources in Delhi, however, refused to confirm the meeting. Sources privy to Sonia’s daily engagements initially said they had heard of such a report and “perhaps” a time for the meeting was being worked out. When a confirmation was sought later, they said “no meeting was on”.
The Congress president is slated to address a rally at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh at 1pm tomorrow.
Asked why she was going to the Congress chief, Mamata said: “Soniaji is at the helm of the UPA, which runs the government at the Centre. My objective is to draw the Centre’s attention to the manner in which the state has gone against its own decision on resolving the standoff.”
She had called on governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi last week and requested him to recommend President’s rule in Bengal because the government had “disobeyed the constitutional head of the state”.
After the Left’s withdrawal of support to the Centre and with the Lok Sabha elections months away, Mamata’s move is significant, political observers in the state said. Sources in Trinamul and the state Congress felt it might pave the way for a pre-poll pact.
“Mamata had spoken to Soniaji before she decided to back the late Ghani Khan Chowdhury’s brother in the byelection to the Malda parliament-ary seat in 2006. The Congress had supported Trinamul’s Saugata Ray in an Assembly bypoll to reciprocate the gesture,” a Trinamul leader said.
Eight months ago, Mamata had met both Sonia and BJP leader L.K. Advani on Nandigram. “This time, she is not calling on Advani,” an aide said.
In the past, Sonia’s meetings, especially with prospective allies, have been kept under wraps. Mohsina Kidwai, the Congress general secretary in charge of Bengal, said she had no idea whether the meeting would take place. “Alliances and other such matters have been left to the state leaders. There are heavyweights like Pranab Mukherjee and Priya Ranjan Das Munshi.”
Mukherjee is in the US and Das Munshi in Calcutta.
Without naming state Congress chief Das Munshi, Mamata today said some “upstart leaders” are “acting as CPM stooges”. “They are speaking for the CPM and advocating its compensation package (for landlosers),” Mamata said.
Das Munshi said: “I don’t know who she is referring to. I must say that those cornered in the CPM once are now by her side all the time.”
Mamata’s reluctance to officially snap ties with the BJP-led NDA had earlier stood in the way of a formal alliance with the Congress.
Congress sources in Delhi said an alliance with Trinamul had not been discussed at any “serious” level.
Tata trip
Calcutta, Sept. 29: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is learnt to have informed the CPM that Ratan Tata could visit Calcutta on Friday.
Bhattacharjee had said on Saturday that Tata had agreed to a meeting on Singur. The CPM state committee today asked the government why it was not being firm in tackling protesters and why it appeared “apologetic” while dealing with them.
The government has called an all-party meeting on Singur tomorrow but Mamata Banerjee left for Delhi, saying she would meet Sonia Gandhi. (END) Source: The Telegraph

If Tata pulls out, Trinamool will be solely responsible: CM

Ratan Tata has written to CM expressing willingness to hold talks
“All I am concerned about is the scope of employment for youth”
“People’s willingness will decide industrialisation process”
KOLKATA: “We are trying our best to convince Tata Motors not to pull out of the State, but if the violence by the Trinamool Congress continues in its present form, the company may leave soon,” West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Saturday.
He had received a letter, earlier in the day, from Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, expressing a willingness to hold talks with him, Mr. Bhattacharjee said, addressing the 13th All-India Conference of the Students’ Federation of India, student wing of the CPI(Marxist) here. “The Trinamool Congress will be solely responsible if the Tata Motors decide to pullout from the Singur small car project and it will be a betrayal on the part of the Opposition to the people of West Bengal.”
The Chief Minister’s remarks came a day after Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee threatened to resume the party’s agitation at the Singur project site if the agreement reached between the government and the Opposition on September 7 was not made operational immediately.
“I am not concerned about the name of the company or the price of the cars they will manufacture, all that I am concerned about is the scope of employment for youth and the change in the economy of the State that such projects will usher in,” Mr. Bhattacharjee said.
“It is the willingness of the people of the State, and not any Trinamool Congress resistance, which will decide the fate of the State’s industrialisation process.”
Ms. Banerjee is demanding return of 300 acres of land from within the project site to farmers who have not taken compensation for their plots acquired.
Work has been suspended at the project site for nearly a month.
On Friday, the corridors of power were agog with rumours of a meeting between the Tata Motors top brass and Mr. Bhattacharjee on Sunday and that senior company officials were also in preparedness. However, the meeting was called off late in the night. It was learnt that the meeting was postponed.
Major component manufacturers (51 in all) have said they are awaiting a communication from the Tata Motors before they take any decision. Some of the smaller component manufacturers pulled out their equipment on safety and security grounds. Construction contractors are moving their equipment out of the project site. Source : The Hindu

Buddhadeb writes to Tata Motors to resume work at Singur; assures assistance

By Special Correspondent
KOLKATA: Faced with the likelihood of the Tata Motors pulling out of Singur, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has written to Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group, requesting him to consider resumption of work by the company at the project site for which his government will be providing all necessary assistance.
Mr. Bhattacharjee has assured Mr. Tata that the safety and security of the personnel of the Tata Motors would be ensured by his administration once the company resumed work at the project site, State’s Industries Minister Nirupam Sen said. The future of the Singur project is in peril following suspension of construction and commissioning work there by the Tata Motors since September 2 in view of the continuing confrontation and agitation outside the site. The decision to stop work was taken to ensure the safety of the company’s employees and contract labour in the wake of an agitation on the issue of land acquisition for the project.
Mamata Banerjee, chief of the Trinamool Congress that has been spearheading a movement in support of its demand for the return of 300 acres of land from within the project site to farmers who have not taken compensation for their plots acquired, threatened at a rally at Singur that she could resume her agitation. The agitation launched outside the project site on August 24 was lifted following talks between its leaders and the State government in the presence of the Governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi on September 7. Ms. Banerjee later cautioned that the agitation was only “suspended and not withdrawn.”
The State government has told the Tata Motors that it hoped that the project at Singur would come up as a large majority of the farmers (nearly 11,000 out of the 13,000) whose land had been acquired for it wanted it so, Mr Sen told journalists after a meeting of the State Secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Only a small section of the farmers were engaged in the agitation for return of land from within the project site and “we feel the verdict of a majority of people in a democratic society should be honoured,” Mr. Sen said.
“The Tata Motors, we feel, should consider the opinion of the large majority of the people at Singur,” he said.
It was this section of the people “whether they belong to Singur or elsewhere in the State which is keenly waiting for the project to come up in West Bengal,” he added.Mr. Sen said that the government had not received any communication of a “final decision” on the future of the project from the Tata Motors but it was keen to provide all the necessary security to the company’s personnel.“Since the start of work the State government has taken all steps to ensure the security of all the company’s workers and will continue to do so in the future,” he asserted.(END) Source: The Hindu

CM asks Tatas to restart work

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA/SINGUR, Sept. 26: Talks between the state government and Tata Motors slated for Sunday have been cancelled apparently because company officials would not be available for the meeting.

The meeting is likely to be held after a few days. Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has asked Tatas to restart work in Singur, said industries minister Mr Nirupam Sen today, according to PTI.

Significantly, the decision to cancel the meeting came after Trinamul chief Miss Mamata Banerjee stuck to her stand of demanding 300 acres from within the project site. Miss Banerjee said at Singur that “industry cannot thrive on police protection” while adding that industrialists willing to set up factories are making a beeline for Singur.

The Tatas faced mild criticism from CPI-M state secretary for exploring options to relocate their plant. Earlier in the day, the chief minister in his letter, according to the decision of the state Cabinet, appealed to Tata Motors against relocating the Nano plant from Singur.

“The chief minister has invited them (Tata Motors) to a discussion but there has been no confirmation from the other side. There is a possibility that there would be a meeting on Sunday,” said Mr Nirupam Sen.

Earlier in the day, Mr Sen said: "Tata Motors are yet to communicate their final decision about relocating the plant. But they would not face any problem in resuming work as they are being provided appropriate security.”

However, there was confusion at Writers’ Buildings over the proposed meeting between the state government and the Tatas. Chief secretary Mr AK Deb initially said that there would be a meeting between Tata Motors and the state government but later denied his earlier statement.

Meanwhile, Mr Biman Bose, CPI-M state secretary said: “Though their production will suffer a little delay the Tatas should consider the extent of help that the state government is willing to extend to them for the plant.” However, the US consul general, Ms Beth Payne warned that US investors were wary after Singur. (END) Source: The Statesman

Chances slim, still Buddhadeb asks Tatas not to leave Singur

By Special Correspondent
KOLKATA: The West Bengal government appears gradually reconciling itself to the eventuality of Tata Motors pulling out of Singur.
The Cabinet, in a last-ditch effort on Thursday, appealed to the company not to withdraw from Singur and assured it all help and cooperation in implementing the small car project.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee reportedly told the Cabinet meeting that given the present circumstances, he did not have much reason to be very hopeful of the project taking off from Singur. The chances were, indeed, very slim.
(It is learnt that Tata Motors is actively considering plans to shift from Singur in view of the continuing uncertainty and is examining various options.) Though Singur was not on the agenda of the Cabinet meeting, Mr. Bhattacharjee spoke of the events that led to the present situation on being asked by his colleagues about the fate of the project.

Mamata firm
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, at a rally here to mark the second anniversary of its movement at Singur, reiterated that the government should operationalise its “agreement” — with her party and its allies formalised on September 7 in the presence of the Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi — that land be provided to farmers who had not accepted compensation for their land acquired for the project.
Mr. Bhattacharjee is reported to have told his ministers that Tata Motors authorities were considering taking the project out of the State though he was still trying to persuade them to stay on.

Flexibility
The government had shown flexibility in its dealings with the Opposition.
But the Opposition remained firm on return of 300 acres from within the project site and another 100 acres from outside to farmers who, it was being claimed, had not consented to to the acquisition of their plots, the Chief Minister pointed out.
Mr. Bhattacharjee said he was willing to sit for further talks with the Opposition with a greater degree of flexibility to end the Singur impasse. (N) Source: The Hindu
Related Stories:
Tatas yet to decide on manufacturing Nano from Pantnagar
People of West Bengal want a solution to Singur: Governor
Tatas may pull out of Singur
West Bengal extends deadline for compensation
Buddhadeb voices concern over future of industrialisation

Buddha gives up Nano hope

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, Sept. 25: With chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee admitting to his Cabinet colleagues there is not even a ghost of a chance of the Tata Motors’ small car project at Singur taking off, the state government today make a desperate last minute effort to save the project. The state Cabinet, which met today, issued a rather unusual statement urging the Tatas to stay back.

“The chances of the Tata Motors continuing with the project are now nil. In view of the current situation they have refused to work with police protection,” Mr Bhattacharjee reportedly told the Cabinet when the fisheries minister, Mr Kironmoy Nanda, asked the chief minister about the latest developments in Singur towards the end of the customary monthly meeting.

The chief minister's statement prompted intense deliberations among the Cabinet members on what can be done to save the project. The higher education minister, Prof. Sudarshan Raichaudhuri, proposed that the state government should reach out to the people on the issue. Later, a statement was drafted which said: “The members of state Cabinet appealed to the Tata Motors not to shift their project from West Bengal, assuring them of full support and cooperation.”

They also urged the Opposition to accept the special package announced by the state government and help in implementing it. The Cabinet expressed its concern to the people of Singur and the state as well.

On the other hand, the Governor Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi today said the state's people wanted a solution to the Singur land acquisition problem. He was addressing the annual general meeting of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “People of the state want a solution to the Singur issue. They desire and deserve a solution. Moreover, people have confidence in those who are dealing with the issue,” Mr Gandhi said.

He added that “change in every field of life is essential for growth and development of the country.” The Governor's comments came a day after his veiled criticism of the Left Front government for its handling of the Singur issue.

Though there was still no word from the Tatas, their intentions, with machinery being moved out of the Singur plant, seem pretty obvious now, barring, of course, a last-minute deal.

While Mr Ratan Tata has written to the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh stating that TML is looking for alternatives to Singur, and a 1000-acre lease, the company is yet to decide on manufacturing the Nano from Pantnagar.

Uttarakhand chief secretary Mr IK Pande said today “We asked, but company officials said no decision has yet been taken.”

Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee, meanwhile, has countered the CPI-M contention that the Raj Bhavan accord was but an announcement of intent of the state government.

She said the prolonged talks at Raj Bhavan on 7 September had culminated in an agreement, though the state government went back on its word and scuttled the small car project.

Miss Banerjee said: “We don’t want the Tatas to move out. It's the CPI-M which doesn't want that both industry and agriculture should flourish in the state.”

She was speaking at a rally organised by Trinamul Congress-led Progressive Secular Democratic Front (PSDF) to observe Singur Day.

“We have proposed that Singur should be a model village where both industry and agriculture would thrive together. But the state government by unilaterally declaring the package has violated the Raj Bhavan accord which was duly signed by the state industries minister and the Leader of the Opposition,'' Miss Banerjee said.

She appealed to the government to “operationalise'' the Raj Bhavan accord as early as possible if “they are serious about industrialisation in the state”.

Mr Samir Patutundu, PDS leader and member of Krishi Jomi Jiban Jibika Raksha Committee, said the Tatas won't move out and that the pull out threat was but “a political gimmick” by the CPI-M to pressure the Opposition.

“Nano will roll out from Pantnagar to meet the deadline. The Tatas are just biding their time as there are legal complications on Singur land,” he said.

Mr Biman Bose, CPI-M state secretary said it would be a great loss for the state, including the people of Singur, if the Tatas move out.

He said the “unholy forces that are directly and indirectly creating obstacles for the project don’t want the state’s development.” “The real intent of these forces”, he said, would have to be exposed and a movement launched “without being provoked by the forces of chaos.” (END) Source : The Statesman

"People of the state want a solution to the Singur issue. People of the state desire and deserve a solution," said Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Tatas may pull out of Singur

Vendors moving equipment , Time running out, says Nirupam Sen

By Marcus Dam

Kolkata: The spectre of Tata Motors pulling out of Singur loomed large even as there were reports on Wednesday of certain vendors moving out their equipment over the past few days from the project site, where work has remained suspended for more than three weeks.

Tata Motors, however, refused to comment.

Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said here that he did not think the project would take off if there were further delays.

Time was running out and the company was suffering losses, State Industries Minister Nirupam Sen observed.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who is demanding return of land “forcibly” acquired from farmers, has meanwhile placed fresh demands before Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Ms. Banerjee, who has rejected a package offered by the State government that envisages sustained economic rehabilitation for all farmers whose land has been acquired, demanded that Article 355 be invoked if the government failed to abide by the September 7 “agreement” on the return of land.

Mamata meets Governor

She, along with leaders of parties who have joined ranks with her on the Singur issue, met the Governor.

Ms. Banerjee later told journalists that her impression was that “the Governor is very saddened” by the turn of events.

“He too wanted a solution to the problem and ensure a farm-factory balance.”

She remained firm on her demand that 300 acres from within the project site be handed back to farmers who had not accepted compensation for their plots.

The government made it clear that this was not possible, if the integral nature of the auto-cluster critical to the project was to be maintained as demanded by Tata Motors.

The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda, who described the package offered by the government as a model for other States, appealed to all political parties to cooperate and solve the Singur problem.

“Opponents of the project are resisting it to fulfil their own political agenda,” he said.

Ms. Banerjee said: “I am willing to sit for a thousand discussions with the government if they are aimed at operationalising the agreement.”

She also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the new compensation package being offered by the government to Singur farmers – one that she described as a “political, not government package.” Source : The Hindu

"Land is limited. Land is precious"

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, Sept 24: In a veiled criticism of the Left Front government for its handling of the Singur issue, Governor Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi said today a dialogue should have been held much earlier and not when a crisis was at hand.

“The first imperative is that of a dialogue, not when a crisis hangs overhead, but well in advance,” said Mr Gandhi, who had mediated the talks between chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee on September 7 on Singur but which has failed to lead to a solution.

He said: " Policy makers should keep in mind that farming community has a mind of its own and they should think carefully before providing arable land for industrial ventures.”

“The way in which agriculture and industry are seen juxtaposed is not right. There is scope and need for both”, he said. He said “empirical evidence has shown that options other than compulsory land acquisition are possible.”

Citing examples, he said farmers' cooperatives had established their own SEZs and industrial estates successfully in Maharashtra. He said: “The cooperative movement in Gujarat and Maharashtra holds an example of what can be done when small farmers pool their resources together.

“Land is limited. Land is precious. Land holds a special value to farmers and their families. It is not impersonal, dematerialised share certificate that you buy and sell with every swing of the Sensex,” Gandhi said.

“We have to be sensitive to the responses of those who lose land and livelihood to projects for industry, housing and infrastructure,” he added.

The Governor was speaking at the inauguration of the Second Green Revolution Summit and Expo, organised jointly by the state government and the Indian Chamber of Commerce, this morning. Source: The Statesman

Tata guards attacked

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, Sept. 23: Two private security personnel guarding the Tata Motors small car project area were badly beaten up by some unidentified men inside the paint shop of the factory last night.

Police said the assailants may have been thieves, but some locals have alleged that they belonged to the Singur Krishi Jomi Raksha Committee.

The injured guards ~ Ajit Kumar, a resident of Patna and SN Sarkar from Birbhum ~ were rushed to Serampore Walsh Hospital in a critical condition early today. No one has been arrested in connection with the incident till the time of going to press.

According to reports, the security guards were on duty at the paint shop of the factory last night. Around 10.30 p.m., a group of eight youths intruded into the project site after scaling the boundary wall, and attacked them with rods and daggers.

The attackers fled after the security guards raised an outcry, and their colleagues came to their assistance. A team from the Singur police station later reached the spot after being informed of the incident. The victims were taken to Singur rural hospital with severe head injuries. Later they were shifted to Serampore Walsh Hospital in the wee hours today.

“We are investigating the incident. We suspect that the attackers had entered the project site to commit a theft,” said a senior district police officer.

Tension prevailed in the area after some local people alleged that the attackers belonged to Singur Krishi Jomi Raksha Committee. Committee members denied the allegation, and police said that there is no evidence to support the charge. “We haven't been able to identify the goons. A probe has been initiated. We have no evidence to say that the attack was carried out by supporters of the Singur Krishi Jomi Raksha Committee,” said a police officer.

The Left Front chairman, Mr Biman Bose, condemned the attack last night and alleged that it was the handiwork of Trinamul Congress-backed goons. The “dastardly act”, Mr Bose said, was intended to scuttle the project as “the Trinamul doesn't want that more jobs are created through industrialisation and the interests of the future generations are protected.”

Mr Mukul Roy, Trinamul general secretary, rubbished the LF chairman's charge as a blatant lie aimed at maligning the agitation the Trinamul and its allies were spearheading against the forcible acquisition of land from unwilling farmers for the project.

Meanwhile, Calcutta HC extended the interim order restraining the Chief Information Commissioner from disclosing the portion of the agreement between Tata Motors and the WBIDC which was not included in the corporation's website till 30 September.(END) Source: The Statesman

Nano to Noida

Season of strife Mamata miffed with governor

By INDRANIL GHOSH

Calcutta, Sept. 22: A chill appears to be creeping into the relationship between governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee.
“The governor got us to withdraw our agitation (siege of Nano factory) on false promises. He is now unable to see things our way,” a Trinamul functionary today quoted Mamata as telling a few party colleagues on Sunday.
“He (Gandhi) is a nice man but it looks like he is not in a position to appreciate the Singur issue in its entirety,” the aide quoted Mamata as saying.
The Trinamul leader’s disenchantment with Gandhi began on September 19 when she called on the governor to brief him on the Singur developments, especially on the compensation package announced by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Although the governor, who was in Delhi, had kept himself abreast of the events related to Singur, he chose to hear her out and promised to apprise the chief minister of her concerns. “What sort of disturbed her was the fact that the governor would not get judgmental on the package,” a Trinamul source said.
Mamata’s oft-professed faith in the governor was dented when in the course of another interaction, Gandhi asked her to “try and find” merits in the chief minister’s initiative, one of the sources said. The source claimed that Gandhi conveyed to Mamata that she would not find it difficult to support the package as it was “truly beneficial to the farmers”.
In subsequent meetings or interactions over the phone with Mamata or her representatives, the governor promised to request the chief minister to “improve the package as far as possible” to make it easier for her to accept it.
“If you have the right sankalp (resolve), you will see there is no dearth of bikalp (alternatives),” the governor reportedly told Mamata and her aides.
Such suggestions have apparently not gone down well with Mamata. “Ei bhadralok aamader aandolan bhenge dilo (this gentleman broke up our movement),” she told a few party faithful.
Despite the frost, Mamata has scheduled a meeting with the governor on Wednesday to inform him of her seven-day deadline for the government to implement the agreement reached at Raj Bhavan.
The state government is watching the clock with growing trepidation as several states — the latest is said to be Gujarat — are wooing the Tatas. The industry minister of Karnataka, which had offered land for the Nano project, today said he was trying to arrange a meeting with Ratan Tata.(END) Source: The Telegraph

West Bengal extends deadline for compensation

KOLKATA: With the number of farmers reconsidering their earlier decision to refuse monetary compensation for their plots acquired for the Tata Motors project at Singur rising, the West Bengal government extended by two days its deadline — previously set for Monday — for the acceptance of applications. But, the Trinamool Congress leadership has reiterated its threat to renew the agitation for the return of land from within the project area to “unwilling farmers.”

Seventy applications seeking compensation have been made to the authorities concerned — an indication of a change in the mind of the farmers who have so far been averse to accepting compensation. Forty-five cheques have been issued so far.

The Trinamool leadership, however, alleged that these farmers were under pressure from CPI(M) activists to accept the compensation cheques.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee reasserted that the agitation for the handing back of 300 acres from within the project site would be resumed unless the State government “operationalised” within seven days (beginning September 21) the understanding it had reached with her associates in the presence of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi on September 7 on the issue of returning land to farmers who had not received compensation.

She accused the State government of “violating” the “agreement” arrived at in the presence of the Governor — an act that was “unconstitutional” for which she would be demanding the invocation of Article 355 of the Constitution. (END) Source : The Hindu

‘Singur can become another Jamshedpur’
By N. Ram
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told The Hindu here on Sunday that he was appealing to all opposition parties in West Bengal to “accept the package proposed by the State government in regard to the acquisition of land in Singur” and to withdraw their agitation.

Saying that he was doing his best to find an amicable solution to the Singur dispute, the Chief Minister referred to his discussion with Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and the government’s talks with the opposition in the presence of the Governor.

The Chief Minister cited “a very important point” made by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan in an interview published in the Ananda Bazar Patrika of September 21: “He has said the entire situation of Singur will be changed. And he has given the example of the Tatas’ Jamshedpur factory. The per capita income has gone up and the human development index is almost like Kerala’s. Singur will be another Jamshedpur and all sections will be benefited from this. If the Tatas withdraw, you will understand what will happen in Singur. The boys and girls who have undergone training, those who have voluntarily handed over their land — there will be a serious crisis. Finally in the State, after many years, here is a very important automobile factory. Automobile as a manufacturing sector is very important all over the world. This Nano technology is a unique innovative technology. The Tatas have done it, defeating their competitors, even the Germans and Japanese. It is a unique project.” (END) Source The Hindu

Buddhadeb voices concern over future of industrialisation

By N. Ram
Package on offer “to protect the interests of… all sections”
Kolkata: “Time is running out and if we fail to come to an agreement, the Tatas will leave this State. That is the latest situation…[which is] very difficult,” West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told The Hindu in Kolkata on Sunday.
When I asked him for an update on the discussions to resolve the Singur dispute, he said he was doing his “level best to find a solution.” The Left Front government had come up with an attractive package the idea behind which was “to protect the interests of the farmers, all sections of the people, in Singur.”
As for the mood of the people, Mr. Bhattacharjee pointed out: “If you first take the situation in Singur, out of 12,000 landowners, 10,000 handed over the land. Two thousand have still not. But even these 2,000 are not totally opposing this project. At least half of them have no papers and are absentee landlords; they have no interest to come here and take money on that. But a small section is still opposing [the acquisition], no doubt about that. But the difference is between 10,000 and 2,000. In a democracy, it is the opinion of the majority that should be taken care of.”
A week ago the Government came out with a package, which was published in all newspapers. “For the landowners who have given their land for the project,” the Chief Minister noted, “we have increased the price of the land that we have already paid. We have proposed a package for unrecorded bargadars or sharecroppers, and for agricultural workers, a package to protect their interests. And there are proposals for the many boys and girls there who have studied in schools or polytechnics and have undergone training by the Tatas and also by government polytechnics. Almost 800 boys and girls are ready to join and we are going to recruit another 800 to 1000 who will get jobs in the main factory or in the ancillaries. And they wanted a portion of land from inside the factory area. I discussed this with the Tatas and finally we proposed that we could hand over 70 acres of land from inside the factory area.”
Mr. Bhattacharjee referred to his lengthy discussion with the Trinamool Congress leader, Mamata Banerjee, before announcing the new package. “I tried to convince her: ‘Look, for the interest of the people of Singur and for the interest of the people of the whole State, you should accept this.’”
But she had still not accepted the package and there was “almost a situation where the Tatas are really thinking whether they will be able to continue in Singur.”
The Chief Minister said he contacted Ratan Tata and requested him to “just bear with us if we take some time to convince the opposition. They are waiting but they are seriously disturbed.”
Mr. Bhattacharjee commented that “if they leave the State, it will create a serious problem in our future industrialisation process.” (END) Source : The Hindu

Tatas put govt. on alert

- Mamata ultimatum greets CM’s warning of pullout
BY INDRANIL GHOSH
Calcutta, Sept. 21: The Tatas have formally notified the government that they would shortly begin looking at the option of withdrawal from Singur if a clear signal on the possibility of peace did not emerge in the next few days.
However, Mamata Banerjee this evening served a seven-day ultimatum to the government to implement an agreement that she said promised “maximum” land within the project site to landlosers.
She also threatened to resume her “satyagraha” — a euphemism for the siege that is suspended now — but not during “festival time”. Mamata, who kept the talks door open and left room for manoeuvre by announcing a staggered plan of action if her ultimatum was ignored, did not specify whether her season of goodwill would extend till Christmas.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, too, indirectly signalled that the Tatas were considering a pullout. “The project will be out of Bengal if it is delayed further,” Bhattacharjee said in what looked like a last-ditch public appeal to the Opposition to accept the package offered by the government and withdraw the agitation.
“Please make it possible for Tata Motors and its component producers to resume work without further delay,” the chief minister said.
Senior officials said Tata Motors had informed the government a few days ago that it would be forced to decide on a pullout if there was no immediate cessation of political bickering caused by Mamata’s opposition. “Instead of considering resuming the residual construction of the factory, the Tatas have said, they will soon start looking at the withdrawal option if things do not improve in the next few days,” an official told The Telegraph.
The chief minister is understood to have briefed the CPM leadership. “He told us that the Tatas have notified the government they would quit soon if the situation does not improve,” a CPM central committee member said.
No official response was available from Tata Motors. But Tata Motors sources said the company was yet to see any sign of normality returning to Singur. “On severe test is the Tatas’ long-term faith in Bengal as an investment destination. Street-side politics is stopping Bengal from passing the test,” an executive said.
“What the Tatas will do is their matter, we are no way connected with it,” Mamata said in response to a question at a news conference.
Having failed so far to turn Mamata around, the Bhattacharjee government was considering a proposal to provide intense security to enable Tata Motors to resume operations.
But, according to a senior minister, the Tatas have declined to return to Singur under such cover. “They have indicated to us that they look forward to resume working in a congenial environment. That sort of a solution (tight security) is of no relevance. You can say we are ready (to do our bit), but the Tatas are not,” the minister said.
However, sections of the government, the CPM and the Trinamul Congress still harbour the hope that attempts to rescue the project might pay off in view of what they perceive as subtle shifts in Mamata’s stand.
Under pressure from the ground to accept the compensation package that guarantees jobs, Mamata is believed to be pinning hopes on another round of talks with the government. Mediators on either side confirmed that feelers were going back and forth.
“We are still hoping for a last-minute breakthrough,” said a negotiator on the government side.
But he added that if and when another meeting took place, it would have to be held within the framework of the compensation package. The chief minister has also conveyed this to the governor.
WITH INPUTS FROM BISWAJIT ROY AND BARUN GHOSH

Source: The Telegraph

CM fears Nano relocation, Mamata sets pact deadline

KOLKATA, Sept. 21: While the chief minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, today warned that Tatas may relocate their small car factory if the agitation in Singur continued, Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee set a week's deadline for the government to implement the Raj Bhavan accord.

She said the Trinamul-led Opposition will go in for an indefinite agitation and siege in Singur if the government failed to implement it.

Miss Banerjee said: “We will meet the President and the PM at the end of this week and the Governor on Tuesday and appeal to them to invoke Article 355 and show cause the state government for violating the Raj Bhavan agreement between the state government and the leader of the Opposition.”

In a volte-face, the government the next day announced a package different from the Raj Bhavan accord in the Governor’s absence, she alleged.

Miss Banerjee said the Centre should invoke Article 356 and dismiss the government if Article 355 failed to serve its purpose. Mr D Bandopadhyay, former land reforms commissioner, discussed the Singur land issue with the Governor. (END) Source: The Statesman

Huge price of street politics

AMARTYA SEN ON THE SINGUR SITUATION

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, in a letter emailed to The Telegraph editor Aveek Sarkar, assesses the Singur situation and warns of the consequences if the “attraction of street activism” persists and the Tatas pull out.

Thank you for asking me about my assessment of the Singur situation. I have, in fact, been trying to follow the events as closely as possible, and I must confess I am greatly concerned about what is going on. It is a complex subject, and we have to consider many different issues together.

First, as I argued in my two Telegraph essays on December 29 and 30 last year, unlike the Nandigram decision, which was (I believe) significantly mistaken, the Singur project with the Tatas was basically sound. West Bengal badly needs industries and new employment and income earning opportunities, and Tatas with the ancillary enterprises would help in that greatly, and also encourage a new image of West Bengal as being no longer hostile to industrial investment.

Second, it is a pity that the plot that the Tatas wanted for the factory, based on their concerns (including closeness to Kolkata), is not only well suited for their project but also fertile for agriculture. It would have been easier if the location were different, but that is no longer a possibility. I am not concerned here so much about the aggregate loss of agricultural land, since that is relatively small, and the income and employment gain from economic expansion in the Singur region would be incomparably larger. What is not, however, small is the loss for those owners of land who did not want to part with their plots, and that is a serious issue.

Third, I argued in my Telegraph essays that (1) it would have been much better to buy the land involved without any compulsion, rather than acquiring it (acquirement has to be the last resort, not the first move), and (2) even with acquirement, giving a 40% higher price than the existing market price was not adequate, since with the entry of industries the land prices would rise much more than that. Of course, if Tatas move out now (as seems likely), the land prices in and around Singur would drop dramatically as Singur returns to its old economic state. That should be a big concern right now for the political protesters, but on the part of the Government of West Bengal, there was a strong case for offering a higher price originally as part of the Singur project, since — with the Tatas there — land price in Singur would be much higher than what the government initially offered and paid.

Fourth, the new compensation offer made by the government is much more reasonable. The higher land prices now offered (combined with the other facilities that have also been offered, including employment arrangements) make it a good compromise.

Fifth, the protesters might be persuaded by their political leadership that their interests would be best served by getting back their old piece of land. Attachment to particular plots is certainly an understandable desire. But the world in which all this will happen will be very different. The Tatas have made clear that they will move out if they get less land than they have been given (they judge that they need that land for the viability of their project). Not just Maharashtra, but also Karnataka and Uttaranchal, among other states, seem to be ready with alternative offers much more favourable to the Tatas. Indeed, there is good reason to expect that the Tatas are very much in the process of relocating, unless there is a fairly immediate breakthrough (which now seems unlikely). With their departure from West Bengal will come a huge fall in land prices all around Singur, and also loss of job opportunities that will affect the local population. I am not sure how much the leaders of the protest movements have thought through these issues.

Sixth, for West Bengal as a whole, it would be a huge economic setback, if the Tatas do move out. Its impact would not be confined only to the economic loss from the withdrawal of investments of the Tatas and the ancillary producers, but also from the general sense across India that the politics of West Bengal makes it nearly impossible to base any new economic move in the state, and that the single-minded politics of the street can drive out any new enterprise.

That politics might change over time once the terrible consequences of industrial and economic stagnation are more widely appreciated and understood. But for the moment the political attraction of street activism seems dominant, supplemented intellectually by the old physiocratic illusion of prosperity grounded only on agriculture. The latter piece of romantic thought cannot but fade over time with the influence of realism (no country has ever achieved much prosperity on the basis of agriculture alone). But at this moment realism looks like a distant dream.(END)

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CM explains ‘best’ package to Governor

Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Sept. 20: The chief minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, today met the Governor, Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi, and explained the government's latest stand on Singur along

Package of discord

Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee met Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi last evening and complained to him that while he was away in Delhi the state government announced, “in flagrant breach of the accord reached at Raj Bhavan on 7 September,” a fresh rehabilitation package for farmers whose land had been acquired for the Tata Motors' small car project at Singur.

Minutes after Mamata Banerjee’s meeting with the Governor, the chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said the Singur stalemate could be resolved if the Opposition accepted the new rehabilitation package advertised in all newspapers by the state government.

Jyoti Basu has also appealed to agitators to accept the state government's fresh rehabilitation package for the land-losers and help resumption of work at the project site. “To enable the small car project to materialise, the state government recently announced a compensation package for the farmers who have given land. I appeal to all concerned to accept the package and allow the project to come up,” Basu said. “I also appeal to those who are opposing the project to rise above politics and cooperate with the state government in allowing the project to come up in the interest of the people of the state,” he stated. Basu said once the project came up, it would increase employment opportunities and bring about economic development.

Following pleas from ailing CPM patriarch Jyoti Basu and governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi for a resolution “for the sake of Bengal and its people”, Mamata said in the evening: “I believe the Singur problem will be resolved soon.” She said: “I seriously want a solution to the Singur problem in the interest of Bengal, industrialisation, agriculture and, above all, its people…. I have requested the governor to talk to the government to find a solution.”

Leader of the Opposition and senior Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee called on Mr. Gandhi separately at the Raj Bhavan earlier in the day.Emerging from the meeting, Mr. Chatterjee told journalists that he had apprised the Governor of the “lawlessness let loose by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)” at Singur. “If such a situation persists we will demand invoking of Article 355 of the Constitution,” he added.

11 farmers who were earlier unwilling to take the compensation collected their cheques yesterday. “About 20 to 25 of them submitted applications,” said Hooghly district magistrate Neelam Meena.

The Calcutta High Court yesterday refused to hear a PIL moved by a Delhi-based NGO demanding its intervention to ensure the Tata Motors project stayed in Singur. “How can the court interfere in the matter?” the division bench of Chief Justice S.S. Nijjar and Justice S. Banerjee said and dismissed the plea.

Sources : The Statesman , The Telegraph and The Hindu

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PIL for Nano

Calcutta, Sept. 18: A PIL was today filed in Calcutta High Court demanding its intervention to ensure the Tatas stayed in Singur.
“The court should ask the Bengal government to take measures so that the Tatas do not abandon the Nano project or shift it to any other state,” Srirupa Mitra Chowdhury said in her petition filed on behalf of a Delhi-based NGO.
The petition said if Bengal lost out on the project, it would be detrimental to development of industry and job generation in the state.
Supriya also asked the court to direct the state government to take steps to ensure a “conducive atmosphere” for Tata Motors.
The case will come up for hearing on September 19.(END) Source: The Telegraph

Talks door ajar, minus 300 acres

By INDRANIL GHOSH
Calcutta Sept. 18: The state government today said it was ready to talk to Mamata Banerjee again on the Singur stand-off but only if she promised not to press for 300 acres within the project site.
The offer came on a day governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who last week brokered the first meeting between the Trinamul boss and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, cancelled a meeting with leaders of the Opposition party.
The government’s talks overture came during back-channel negotiations between CPM leaders and ministers and key Trinamul functionaries. “It seems even at this stage they (Trinamul) want talks (with us) for, let us say, clarification of certain aspects of the compensation package announced last Friday,” a senior CPM leader said.
“We said we don’t mind, but the meeting should be substantial, not a tea session.”
The CPM negotiators told the Trinamul functionaries Mamata would have to realise that the government had offered her the best deal possible. Now it was up to her to respond in a positive manner by endorsing the compensation package the government had announced for farmers whose lands were taken over for the Nano small car project.
The behind-the-scenes talks coincided with three developments.
Seventeen Trinamul-controlled farmers, who two years ago had refused to accept compensation, registered with the Hooghly district administration for the new package, taking the number overnight to 22. “Several farmers have taken the cheques,” a district official said.
Sources familiar with developments in Singur said a large number of farmers loyal to Mamata were expected to register with the authorities for compensation cheques under the new package.
The second development was the governor’s decision to cancel the 7.30pm meeting at Raj Bhavan with Partha Chatterjee and other Trinamul leaders. Trinamul had requested the meeting to review the situation in Singur.
The decision to call off the meeting came a day after the chief minister said the governor wouldn’t be requested to again mediate in the Singur impasse and Mamata should deal directly with the government.
Mamata had bristled at Bhattacharjee’s comments and said the chief minister had “defamed” the governor.
Trinamul sources, however, said they expected Mamata to call on the governor tomorrow as scheduled, though no confirmation was available from Raj Bhavan.
The third was reports that Tata Motors had begun exploring the possibility of setting up an alternative plant for the Nano in either Karnataka or Haryana. The mood at Writers’ Buildings as well as in the CPM headquarters on Alimuddin Street turned grim when the reports came in.
“Mamata’s utterances yesterday did not inspire confidence,” said a CPM minister. “But we are still hoping she would see reason.”
A CPM central committee member said: “We have made it clear to Trinamul leaders they are free to meet the governor as many times as they wish, but they would do well to discuss a possible settlement through direct discussions with the government. They must stop taking refuge in the office of the governor.”
The CPM state secretariat will tomorrow discuss the Singur issue.
Mamata and her aides will review the post-package Singur situation on September 21 and 22. Sources said the party would decide over the two meetings whether to re-launch the suspended siege of the Nano factory in a festival season. (END) Source: The Telegraph

Bangalore striks, Bengal sleeps- Two 1000-acre baits for Tatas

By ANIL BUDUR LULLA
Bangalore, Sept. 18: Karnataka today offered the Tatas the best possible inducement to drive the Nano project out of Singur.
Chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa laid on the table for Tata Motors boss Ravi Kant not one, but two plots of land — each as big as the one in Singur — which could easily house a plant to produce the world’s cheapest car and 60 ancillaries that the company believes are critical to the success of the project.
Several states, including Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, have offered to host the Nano since the Singur stalemate but none has presented such a concrete and attractive proposal.
Uttarakhand, a possible alternative, has said it could give Tata Motors about 300-400 acres in Pantnagar where the group has a plant that manufactures small commercial vehicles.
Sources said Yeddyurappa and his industry minister, Murugesh Nirani, offered the Tatas 1,000 acres of contiguous land — the minimum needed for the Nano plant — in two locations. The land has already been acquired by the Karnataka State Infrastructure Development Corporation, which is in the process of establishing industrial parks and allotting them to companies.
Sources said one plot was offered in Hubli, 430km from Bangalore, where the Tatas have two projects running. Another 1,000 acres was offered in the Bidadi industrial estate second phase project, 30km from the state capital, on the Bangalore-Mysore highway.
“We also offered them sops in terms of waiver of stamp duty and registration fee which may run into crores of rupees. As the Nano is a highly cost-driven venture, we were open to other incentives like state sales tax and excise benefits for a period of three to five years,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
Asked if the Karnataka government had offered 1,000 acres, Ravi Kant said: “Yes. If we have to have the project, it requires 1,000 acres. It is an integrated project.”
“He (Yeddyurappa) said he will give all support, assistance and required incentives if we want it,” the Tata Motors ma
naging director added.
Ravi Kant said the company was yet to take a decision on relocating the project from Singur.
“We are considering alternatives if required. We are actively looking at alternatives too,” he said.
Yeddyurappa said the Tatas were “very receptive”. “We hope for a positive outcome in view of our excellent relationship,” he said.

Governor Meet
Gopalkrishna Gandhi cancelled a scheduled meeting with a Trinamul Congress team on Thursday, a day after the chief minister said the governor had done his job. The government has said it is open to talks with Mamata Banerjee, but only if she drops her demand for 300 acres inside the project. ( END) Source: The Telegraph

New twist to Singur

By Rajib Chatterjee

KOLKATA, Sept. 18: In an interesting development, more than 150 farmers of Singur who had given their land voluntarily for the Nano project have submitted applications to the block development officer expressing their willingness to return their compensation cheques and get their land back.Mr Prasenjit Chakraborty, BDO, Singur confirmed to The Statesman: "I have received their applications. They want to get their land back by submitting (returning) their compensation cheques."The applications have been forwarded to the district magistrate Hooghly, Mrs Neelam Meena, and authorities of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC). The applicants have not given any reasons in their applications as to what prompted them to ask for their land back from the state government. Singur Krishi Jomi Raksha Committee members alleged that these farmers had been forced to part with their plots for the project by CPI-M cadres two years ago. The CPI-M, on the other hand, came up with a counter allegation, that Trinamul Congress cadres are pressuring willing farmers to submit applications to block authorities demanding return of land. Meanwhile, the state government's initiatives to end the Singur deadlock by offering a lucrative package to unwilling farmers suffered a setback after a majority of farmers refused to accept the government's new offer.Reports available to Singur block office states that only six out of more than 2,000 unwilling farmers of Singur have accepted the fresh rehabilitation package which the state government had announced on 14 September. The package was announced to pacify unwilling farmers who have been waging a war to reoccupy their plots.According to Mr Chakraborty, only six unwilling farmers have submitted application to the district magistrate stating that they don't have any objection to part with their land for the Nano project if compensation, as stated in the fresh package, is provided to them. "The package was expected to attract agitating farmers who have been spearheading a movement against the state government for the last three years for 'forcibly' taking away their land. But it has failed to convince agitating farmers," said another block official. Having realised that the fresh package has failed to attract agitating farmers, local CPI-M leaders have been mobilising cadres to convince unwilling farmers.

Tata claim

A statement by Tata Motors today said 17 farmers who lost their lands in Singur to make way for its car plant have applied for the new rehabilitation package announced by the West Bengal government. (END) Source : The Statesman

West Bengal doing everything to solve Singur issue: Karat

By Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government is “doing everything” to settle the Singur problem, Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said here on Thursday.
On the protests being planned by the Left parties and some other parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party, against the Parliament session not being convened by the United Progressive Alliance government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the United States on September 25 to finalise the nuclear deal, Mr. Karat said the matter would be taken up at a meeting in New Delhi on Friday. He also blamed the Centre for failing to control terrorism.
Mr. Karat called on veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu at his Salt Lake residence here.
Mr. Basu was discharged from a city hospital on Tuesday after he was admitted there on September 7, three days after suffering a fall in his home.(END) Source: The Hindu

" Tatas waiting to return"

By Special Correspondent
Kolkata: The Tata Motors authorities “are anxiously waiting to come back” but still think the situation in Singur is not congenial to resume work on the Nano project, according to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
“They are closely observing the situation and when they feel the situation is normal they will come back,” he said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
Mr. Bhattacharjee is in regular touch with the Tata group and spoke to its chairman Ratan Tata on Tuesday.
The company had not set a time limit to wait for normality to return to Singur but “time is a very important factor. We have already lost more than a month.”
The Chief Minister appealed to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee “to understand the realities, try to see reason and please allow us to set up the factory.”
He said: “I am ready to discuss issues with her if she responds to my appeal to accept the package [of the State government providing economic rehabilitation and additional monetary compensation to all farmers whose land has been acquired for the project].”
Mr. Bhattacharjee: “I do not want confrontation and I am still confident that if the Opposition responds to our appeal and the situation improves further — no doubt there has been some improvement from what it was ten days ago — the atmosphere [at Singur] will be conducive to restart work at the plant.” He urged those farmers who had not accepted compensation for their land acquired to do so by September 22.
The Tata Motors announced suspension of work at the Nano plant on September 2 in view of the continued confrontation and agitation at the site.

Mamata’s threat
Ms. Banerjee has threatened to resume the agitation. “The stir has not been called off but only suspended.” It could be resumed after meeting Governor Gopalakrishna Gandhi on his return to the city [later this week], she said.
“We had brought back normality to Singur but after this if the situation there turns bad, it will be the government that will be wholly responsible,” Ms. Banerjee said.(END)

Source: The Hindu

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