The West Bengal government on Monday tabled the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Rules Act, 2011, which gives the government the option of giving unwilling land owners at the disputed plot at Singur a quantum of land equivalent to what they had lost.
The Rules, which were laid in the Legislative Assembly by State Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, defines an unwilling owner as someone who owns a plot of land within the schedule to the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, and whose land was sought to be acquired and who has not accepted compensation.
Transfer of land
On the issue of transferring land to such unwilling owners, the Rules said: “The State government shall, by grant under the Government Grants Act, 1895 (Act no.15 of 1895), give equivalent quantum of land to unwilling owners who have not accepted the compensation out of the land mentioned in the Schedule to the Singur Act, which may not be the specific plot of land of any unwilling owner, or it may award compensation on the basis of the decision taken by the High Power Committee.”
The Rules, which were notified by the Land Reforms Department of the government, also spelt out the composition of the High Power Committee for the purpose of effective implementation of the transfer of land.
The committee has 19 members and is headed by the Industry Minister. The Law Minister is the vice-chairman.
Among the members are MLAs from Singur and the nearby Haripal.
