Make land losers stakeholders in development: Nirupam

Having learnt its lessons from the land acquisition experiences in Nandigram and Singur, the West Bengal government today urged the industry to make land losers stakeholders in the development process.

West Bengal commerce and industry minister Nirupam Sen said, “It is not a question of some political party doing something, people are feeling left out. Industrialists should show the people that the development will do the common people, good. The economic growth is not inclusive and that is not just limited to our state.” He was speaking at a summit organised by Assocham, along with Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce.

Sen’s comments are a change from the earlier stance when the government blamed Trinamool Congress leader and Railway minister Mamata Banerjee for driving the Nano project from the state. Sen said, the private sector should ensure that land losers are made stakeholders. Sen today urged the companies to fulfill their corporate social responsibilities. However, Sen did not clarify as to how land losers could be made stakeholders.

JSW’s proposed steel project at Salboni offered land losers compensation, jobs and free shares equivalent to the compensation. The land acquisition was very smooth and was done directly by the company. In comparison, Singur faced one of the most violent land agitations. Apart from compensation, land losers at Singur were given ITI training but there was no commitment to absorb them at the plant.

Sen also said that while the state government was not opposed to direct purchase of land by the industry, the state government should have a role to play.

“State government should have a role to play particularly in the rehabilitation of the people so that the growth is inclusive,” said Sen.

He added, taking the people into confidence around 65 units were being set up in the engineering, forging and auto component sectors, among others. The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation was in the process of setting up 25 industrial clusters.