By SANJAY MANDAL
Singur, Aug. 31: Bireswar Das, 65, of Singherbheri village has married off two daughters and repaired his dilapidated house in the past year and a half.
Beraberi Purbapara’s Kashinath Manna, 77, is groaning under a pile of debts, even after having sold 10 cows.
Bireswar and Kashinath are the two faces of Singur landowners. The first represents families that took compensation against their plots acquired for the Nano project and used the money to improve their lives. The second is the group that refused to accept the cheques.
“My father works as a home-guard and it was difficult to make both ends meet,” said Bireswar’s son Abhijit, 20.
The government had paid around Rs 9 lakh to the family for three bighas (an acre).
Bireswar spent Rs 2.8 lakh on the weddings of Suparna and Aparna and Rs 2 lakh on house repairs. The remaining Rs 4.2 lakh now sits pretty in a fixed deposit. That could, at the current rate of interest, give the family several times its annual earnings of Rs 4,000 from the land.
Singur, Aug. 31: Bireswar Das, 65, of Singherbheri village has married off two daughters and repaired his dilapidated house in the past year and a half.
Beraberi Purbapara’s Kashinath Manna, 77, is groaning under a pile of debts, even after having sold 10 cows.
Bireswar and Kashinath are the two faces of Singur landowners. The first represents families that took compensation against their plots acquired for the Nano project and used the money to improve their lives. The second is the group that refused to accept the cheques.
“My father works as a home-guard and it was difficult to make both ends meet,” said Bireswar’s son Abhijit, 20.
The government had paid around Rs 9 lakh to the family for three bighas (an acre).
Bireswar spent Rs 2.8 lakh on the weddings of Suparna and Aparna and Rs 2 lakh on house repairs. The remaining Rs 4.2 lakh now sits pretty in a fixed deposit. That could, at the current rate of interest, give the family several times its annual earnings of Rs 4,000 from the land.
Asit Das’s two-storey house in Gopalnagar has a computer. The 56-year-old employee of the Samabay Krishi Unnayan Samiti, a co-operative in Singur, had received nearly Rs 4 lakh for his 2.5 bighas.
The compensation was relatively less, he says, as it was a marshy plot.
The money was used to complete the construction of his house, besides buying the PC for sons Tanmoy, 20, and Mrinmoy, 15.
“Now we live comfortably,” said Asit.
Bholanath Jyoti’s wife watches her favourite soaps on her own colour television now. He had received Rs 3 lakh for a bigha. “I built the two-storey house and bought the TV. Now my wife doesn’t need to go to neighbours for it.”
The picture on the other side is dim. Paramita Das and her husband Sujoy of Purbapara had to part with four-and-a-half bighas but they didn’t accept the money. “My brother-in-law Prosenjit does odd jobs to help my husband, a primary school teacher,” said Paramita.
The debt-ridden family has to now borrow from relatives and friends.
Mahadeb Das, one of the supporters of the save farmland campaign, could have walked to the bank with Rs 32 lakh for his 3.5 acres, but chose not to take the cheque.
Now, he is scraping the barrel with the impasse dragging on and leaders refusing to climb down.
“A fixed deposit of Rs 1 lakh and savings of Rs 40,000 have been exhausted,” Das said, but vowed to fight for his land.
Some families are feuding among themselves for not having accepted the compensation and facing its consequences.
“I want to work in the Tata Motors factory. But since my father has not taken the compensation, I am not being selected. I have requested him to accept it,” said a young man in Gopalnagar, a diploma engineering student. He was too scared to be named for defying his elders.( END) Source : The Telegraph
The compensation was relatively less, he says, as it was a marshy plot.
The money was used to complete the construction of his house, besides buying the PC for sons Tanmoy, 20, and Mrinmoy, 15.
“Now we live comfortably,” said Asit.
Bholanath Jyoti’s wife watches her favourite soaps on her own colour television now. He had received Rs 3 lakh for a bigha. “I built the two-storey house and bought the TV. Now my wife doesn’t need to go to neighbours for it.”
The picture on the other side is dim. Paramita Das and her husband Sujoy of Purbapara had to part with four-and-a-half bighas but they didn’t accept the money. “My brother-in-law Prosenjit does odd jobs to help my husband, a primary school teacher,” said Paramita.
The debt-ridden family has to now borrow from relatives and friends.
Mahadeb Das, one of the supporters of the save farmland campaign, could have walked to the bank with Rs 32 lakh for his 3.5 acres, but chose not to take the cheque.
Now, he is scraping the barrel with the impasse dragging on and leaders refusing to climb down.
“A fixed deposit of Rs 1 lakh and savings of Rs 40,000 have been exhausted,” Das said, but vowed to fight for his land.
Some families are feuding among themselves for not having accepted the compensation and facing its consequences.
“I want to work in the Tata Motors factory. But since my father has not taken the compensation, I am not being selected. I have requested him to accept it,” said a young man in Gopalnagar, a diploma engineering student. He was too scared to be named for defying his elders.( END) Source : The Telegraph
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