KOLKATA/SINGUR, Sept. 3: With the fate of the small car project at Singur hanging in the balance after Tata Motors stating yesterday that it was evaluating alternative options, Governor Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi today announced he would “chair discussions” to be held at Raj Bhavan on 5 September where representatives of the state government and Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee would be engaged in a dialogue to find a way out of the imbroglio. Mr Justice Chittatosh Mookherjee, former Chief Justice of Calcutta and Bombay High Courts, would advise Mr Gandhi on legal aspects, a Raj Bhavan Press release said. The Governor will hold preliminary round of discussions with the leaders tomorrow. After hectic parleys at Raj Bhavan for the past two days, when the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Partha Chatterjee met Mr Gandhi several times and the chief minister once, the Governor decided during the day “not to be a third-party mediator”, but a “chairperson”. He accepted the requests of Miss Banerjee and the chief minister in consonance with his “view that the stalemate over Singur is exacting social costs of a high magnitude, apart from the investment costs and the implications on the polity”. The Governor “sincerely hopes” that the discussions “will be marked by a spirit of accommodation and goodwill.” He also “envisages this exercise as one that will result in a sense of shared, not one-sided, achievement.” During the period, the Raj Bhavan release insisted: “It is essential that all sides try to maintain and encourage calm in Singur and take steps to build mutual confidence that is essential for the discussions to take place and succeed.” There were unconfirmed reports that he had sent a letter to Mr Ratan Tata to apprise the industrialist of the impending dialogue process.Mr Justice Mookherjee said if there is positive will, the law won't stand in the way and even if the law became an impediment, amendments were possible. But he had no comments on the question of Singur land. In a new twist, Union commerce and industry secretary Mr GK Pillai today said the compensation offered to the farmers to acquire land for Tata Motors' small-car factory by the state government was inadequate and the method of land acquisition was incorrect. “Total compensation package is inadequate,” Mr Pillai said on the sidelines of the export award function of the Shellac and Forest Products Export Promotion Council in Kolkata this evening.Meanwhile, Miss Banerjee said in Singur she was optimistic about a solution and hoped the project would set an example that land couldn't be forcibly acquired and that industry and agriculture could coexist. Mr Partha Chatterjee said the Trinamul won't budge from its position on return of land to unwilling farmers. He said he would ask the state government during the (Continued from page 1) meeting at Raj Bhavan to explain details of the building plan pertaining to ancillary units and also how much land had actually been allotted to such units for the purpose. State industries minister Mr Nirupam Sen ruled out offering land as part of the land compensation package and said the Tatas might be asked to resume operations at the site after the Governor’s initiative had succeeded. He also said he would get back to Mr Ratan Tata if the forthcoming talks proved fruitful. He said he hadn’t spoken to Mr Tata after the suspension of work notice was issued in Singur. There was tension in Singur after some building material suppliers for the car project, allegedly belonging to the CPI-M, tried to stop Trinamul activists on their way to the dharna dais. Miss Banerjee termed it as an act of provocation.(END) Source : The Statesman
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