Hand over Singur land to Railways: Trinamool

Trinamool Congress today demanded that the West Bengal government hand over the site of Tata Motors' abandoned small car project to the Railways for an international-standard coach factory "without creating any fresh controversy."

"Without creating any fresh controversy, the state government should hand over the entire land in Singur. Railways would decide how to set up the coach factory there while maintaining a balance between agriculture and industry," party general secretary Partha Chatterjee told reporters in the assembly.

Chatterjee, who is also Leader of the Opposition, said Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had stated that the Railways were willing to set up a coach factory in Singur. 

THE OPPOSITION CONTENDS...

# Railways would decide how to set up the coach factory while maintaining a balance between agriculture and industry

# State government has not taken any positive step even after the Railway Board chairman's letter to it

# For them, industrialisation is merely a slogan. They have no will to implement it

# Who asked the Tatas to leave? They could have set up the unit on 600 acres. They held Banerjee responsible. But the people have answered

“But the state government has not taken any positive step even after the Railway Board chairman's letter to it,” he said. He alleged the government was renewing the lease of the industrial house on one hand while saying it wanted to provide land to the Railways. "For them, industrialisation is merely a slogan. They have no will to implement it. If the state government was really interested, it would have handed over Basumati Corporation, a sick state undertaking, to the Railways," he said. The Railway Minister had stated that she was ready to run the Basumati under the Railways, he said.

"Who asked the Tatas to leave? They could have set up the unit on 600 acre. They held Banerjee responsible. But the people have answered through ballots," he said.