Spillover slice on the table
By SAMBIT SAHA
Calcutta, Sept. 6: The 47 acres placed on the Singur talks table by the government are uniquely located to help both sides claim victory in public if the Trinamul Congress accepts the package.
The rectangular slice falls inside the boundary wall but the land is not part of the project since it has not been leased either to Tata Motors or the ancillary units. The stretch is vested with the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).
The land, on the southeast side of the plant, was originally acquired by the WBIDC for the Nano project — a detail that may allow Trinamul to claim that it had succeeded in wresting a portion, however small, of the Tata Motors complex.
Trinamul can also cash in on the contents of a Raj Bhavan statement after the second day of the talks.
“On the second day of discussion today, the two panels representing the government and the Opposition respectively went into greater detail on the prospects of a land-based rehabilitation scheme in and around the Singur project site,” the statement said.
However, since the plot was never part of the area leased to Tata Motors or the vendors, the state government can say it has not compromised on its stand that no land can be returned from the project site.
Trinamul is insisting on “more” land from the project area, which means from the vendor park since the party has already said the Tatas can keep the 645 acres meant for the mother plant.
The Tatas have refused to concede land from the vendor park because the total area is already smaller than what they had initially sought.
Tata Motors had asked for 1,045 acres, but only 997.11 acres were acquired by the WBIDC. Also, the state kept 47 acres, and 15 acres were given to the West Bengal State Electricity Board to set up a sub-station.
Another 20-30 acres have been used for drainage systems, so the Tatas and the vendors together actually have about 915 acres.
The Tatas have said that their original demand was made after factoring in the need for future expansion. The commercial success of a low-priced car like Nano depends on high volumes, and production has to be scaled up to make the project viable.
This is the key factor that stands in the way of the Tatas giving up land to accommodate the Trinamul demand, sources said.
The company and the state government believe no more leeway can be granted.
If Trinamul agrees to a solution involving land outside the project site, the government has a few options in the immediate vicinity.
The WBIDC has an additional 10-12 acres in Berabari and Gopalnagar outside the 997.11 acres.
There are also 15-20 acres across the Durgapur Expressway. The plots are held by real estate developers, who have shown keenness on working with the WBIDC.(END) Source: The Telegraph
The rectangular slice falls inside the boundary wall but the land is not part of the project since it has not been leased either to Tata Motors or the ancillary units. The stretch is vested with the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).
The land, on the southeast side of the plant, was originally acquired by the WBIDC for the Nano project — a detail that may allow Trinamul to claim that it had succeeded in wresting a portion, however small, of the Tata Motors complex.
Trinamul can also cash in on the contents of a Raj Bhavan statement after the second day of the talks.
“On the second day of discussion today, the two panels representing the government and the Opposition respectively went into greater detail on the prospects of a land-based rehabilitation scheme in and around the Singur project site,” the statement said.
However, since the plot was never part of the area leased to Tata Motors or the vendors, the state government can say it has not compromised on its stand that no land can be returned from the project site.
Trinamul is insisting on “more” land from the project area, which means from the vendor park since the party has already said the Tatas can keep the 645 acres meant for the mother plant.
The Tatas have refused to concede land from the vendor park because the total area is already smaller than what they had initially sought.
Tata Motors had asked for 1,045 acres, but only 997.11 acres were acquired by the WBIDC. Also, the state kept 47 acres, and 15 acres were given to the West Bengal State Electricity Board to set up a sub-station.
Another 20-30 acres have been used for drainage systems, so the Tatas and the vendors together actually have about 915 acres.
The Tatas have said that their original demand was made after factoring in the need for future expansion. The commercial success of a low-priced car like Nano depends on high volumes, and production has to be scaled up to make the project viable.
This is the key factor that stands in the way of the Tatas giving up land to accommodate the Trinamul demand, sources said.
The company and the state government believe no more leeway can be granted.
If Trinamul agrees to a solution involving land outside the project site, the government has a few options in the immediate vicinity.
The WBIDC has an additional 10-12 acres in Berabari and Gopalnagar outside the 997.11 acres.
There are also 15-20 acres across the Durgapur Expressway. The plots are held by real estate developers, who have shown keenness on working with the WBIDC.(END) Source: The Telegraph
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