TMC does not support the new Land Acquisition Act

Says there are a lot issues that need to be discussed

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Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee on Monday said the party does not support the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 as a lot of issues needed to be discussed.

"We do not subscribe to the Land Acquisition Act, 2013. There are so many issues which need to be discussed ... Probably Jairam Ramesh was in a hurry to satisfy someone without satisfying the concerns of common people," said Chatterjee, who is also West Bengal Industries Minister, at a programme by Merchant Chamber of Commerce.

TMC, he said, was against any kind of forcible land acquisition 'whether its is 80: 20 or any other ratio'.

"We cannot deny the rights to 70 per cent of the population who are agriculture-dependent."

The party was against the SEZ policy too. "However, we are talking to Infosys and I am confident that we will be able to bring them here," he said.

The government had denied SEZ status sought by Infosys for a proposed project in the state.

Referring to the situation in the state, he said "The problem in Bengal is not land but infrastructure. We can use the land of the closed factories. We have more than 20000 acres in closed industries."

He asked the chambers of commerce take a vow that none of their members will move to court if the state tries to take back the land of closed industries and gives it to other industries. "Let us use the land which is available."

On the now abandoned Tata Motors car plant at Singur, he said the selection of land for it and the way it was earmarked for industry by the erstwhile Left Front government was wrong.

Chatterjee said the TMC government had made an act to return unused land acquired at Singur to the farmers, which is now pending before the Supreme Court.

The erstwhile Left Front government had earmarked 1000 acres at Singur for the Nano car plant. The acquisition of the multi-crop land by the then government from unwilling farmers was the major reason for its poll debacle after a long stint of 34 years in the hands of TMC.