The Hindu : National : Tatas to return Singur land

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Tatas to return Singur land

Marcus Dam

In all, 997.11 acres had been acquired for Nano project

Take steps to set up alternative industries
at site: Left Front
Land cannot be returned to farmers

KOLKATA: Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee reportedly affirmed at a meeting of leaders of the ruling Left Front here on Thursday that Tata Motors will return the land at Singur that had been leased out to them for the Nano project which had to be subsequently relocated.

“The Tatas will also inform the State government the schedule of the land return,” senior leader of Revolutionary Socialist Party Manoj Bhattacharjee, who was present at the meeting, told The Hindu.

In all, 997.11 acres had been acquired by the State government for the project.

The Left Front urged the State government to take steps for setting up alternative industries at the site once the land is returned as it could not be handed back as per law to the farmers from whom it was acquired for the Nano project.

“We have asked the State government to go ahead with its plans to set up industries at the site as the land there had been acquired for that purpose,” Biman Bose, Chairman of the Left Front Committee, said.

The State government, in a statement last week, announced that industry would be set up at the site for the sake of the overall development of Singur as well as for opening up new employment opportunities, and was exploring various options with this in mind.

Its plans to set up new industries in the area could, however, encounter stiff resistance from the Trinamool Congress and its allies, who have threatened to oppose any such move till the 400 acres of land (out of the 997.11 acres) that had been acquired for the Tata Motors project is returned to farmers who had not accepted compensation for their plots that were acquired.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said that she will lead a procession at Singur on November 2 in support of the demand of return of land to the farmers.

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