Hope for Singur solution 'positive': TC

After a delayed three-hour meeting between the West Bengal government and the opposition in the presence of Governor Gopal Gandhi, a breakthrough in the impasse over compensating land-losers who refused payment for the land acquired for the Tata Motors Nano factory complex appeared more probable with “positive” indications from the opposition team.

This was the first meeting between the state government and the Trinamool Congress (TC) over the Singur crisis after Tata Motors earlier this week said it was suspending operations there and exploring alternative sites to produce its small car, Nano.

A highly-placed source in the Left Front admits the ‘land-for-land’ issue is likely to dominate proceedings when the two sides meet again on Saturday at 11 am and the government is keen to clinch the issue.

“If it settles the matter once and for all, the government will drum up up to 100 acres for the unwilling farmers,” he indicated.

State Industries Minister Nirupam Sen dominated the government team, speaking for over an hour to establish why land once acquired for the factory could not be returned and to sell the idea of giving shops to “unwilling farmers” for land lost in the ratio of 1 cottah (720 sq ft) of shop space for every bigha (1 bigha=20 cottahs) held.

The government side was told to look at ways to secure land for a “land-for-land” deal for farmers not willing to accept shops.

From the TC team, Krishi Jami Bachao Committee (Save Farmers’ Land Committee) Convenor Becharam Manna and Singur MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharya said just cash compensation was not acceptable even if enhanced price was paid for land, and demanded some land for unwilling farmers, said sources.

The TC team was told to come up with a realistic land figure and examine other options like shops in lieu of land.

After the meeting, the TC team rushed back to Singur, 40 km from Kolkata, to brief Mamata Banerjee, while the government team went to CPI(M) headquarters at Alimuddin Street in Kolkata to brief the chief minister.

Discussions will resume tomorrow morning.

However, the discussions hit an early roadblock today as the meeting was rescheduled from 10 am to 4 pm as the state government laid down some last-minute demands.

The state government demanded that National Highway 2, running past Singur, be cleared of all obstructions and also that the protest — which has been on since August 24 — should be put on hold during the discussions.

Briefing the media, the governor said, since discussions would be held with the head of the state, it was only fair that the highway be cleared because there was a high court directive to this end.

Mamata Banerjee cleared one side of the national highway and refrained from making political speeches at the dharna manch.

Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty also visited Singur to check whether the highway was cleared.