Statesman News Service
KOLKATA, Sept. 8: Twenty-four hours after the accord on the Singur small-car project between the state government and the Trinamul Congress-led Opposition, a letter from the Tata Motors managing director to the state industries minister expressing “distress” over “limited clarity on the outcome of the discussions” made the state government assert today that land would be provided to the landlosers keeping intact “the integral nature of the mother plant and the ancillary units which is fundamental and not open to change”. Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and industries minister Mr Nirupam Sen jointly held a Press conference to clarify that Trinamul chief Miss Mamata Banerjee had been told during discussions at Raj Bhavan that the very nature of the project to manufacture the cheapest car was such that the mother plant and the ancillary units would have to be in an integrated cluster. Raj Bhavan sources said: “The Governor knows about the letter written by the Tata Motors to the state government during the day, but he is not willing to make any comment.” Mr Sen categorically stated, no land earmarked for setting up the ancillary units within the 997 acre project area could be disturbed and relocation of these units was out of the question. Both Mr Bhattacharjee and Mr Sen said the claim made by Miss Banerjee at Singur after the accord last night that 200-300 acres of land from within the project area and outside would be provided to the unwilling farmers “created confusion” which they sought to “clear”. In fact, Mr Sen said: “The relocation of the ancillary units wasn't discussed. The spirit of the discussion was that a committee would be set up to explore the maximum land that can be given from within the project area keeping the agreed ratio of land for the main plant and the ancillary units unaltered.” However, the accord read out by the Governor last night clearly stated: “The government has taken the decision to respond to the demand of those farmers who have not received compensation, by means of land to be provided to the maximum within the project area and the rest in adjacent areas as early as possible. Towards this, a committee will be constituted to ascertain the scope and settle the modalities within a period of one week. During this time the government will urge the vendors (who would set up the ancillary units) not to make any construction.” The state government constituted a four-member committee comprising the Singur MLA and panchayat samiti member belonging to the Trinamul, managing director, WBIDC and the district magistrate, Hooghly. The committee would begin work from tomorrow, the chief minister said. Earlier in the day the industries minister wondered, when asked by the media, “where has it been stated that land would be given from within the project area ?” The chief minister and the minister took only a couple of questions at the Press conference to assure that the project would come up and that the discussions at Raj Bhavan had been held to create an atmosphere congenial to setting up the small car factory. On the other hand the WBIDC website carried a copy of the agreement between the Tatas and the state government on the project, though it contained only what the minister had stated in the Assembly on 15 March, 2007. The agreement has a provision that 47.11 acres within the project area belonging to the WBIDC would be used for rehabilitation of families affected by the project, The Trinamul chief said: “No comments. We have nothing to with what the Tata Motors have said.’’ Commenting on the industries minister’s remarks, she said : “How is it possible ? This is a gentleman’s agreement and signed in front of the Governor by the minister himself. There’s no scope for confusion.’’ LF chairman, Mr Biman Bose, said earlier the Opposition had complained about transparency of the project agreement and now the Tatas were raising questions about transparency of yesterday’s accord. “In an atmosphere where there is lack of transparency, industrialisation will take place only slowly.” The CPI-M state secretariat met and discussed yesterday’s accord and the developments during the day. Mr Manju Majumdar, CPI, state secretary, said : “The Tatas have no business to decide whether the accord is transparent or not. They should immediately resume the project work.”(END) Source : The Statesman
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