The West Bengal cabinet will meet on June 13 to discuss the Singur Bill before it is tabled in the State Assembly, with the draft submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office today, Secretariat sources said.
The Bill, being prepared by the Industry Department, would seek to revoke the lease agreement between the Tatas and WBIDC by virtue of which nearly 1,000 acre would be reclaimed by the State at Singur, the site of the abandoned Tata Motors Nano project.
“A cabinet meeting has been convened on June 13,” Law Minister Maloy Ghatak said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had hurriedly announced an ordinance on Thursday to reclaim land at Singur, but yesterday she said the government would table the land reclamation bill in the Assembly session, which has been advanced to June 13 from June 24.
A Left delegation led by Leader of the Opposition Surjyakanto Mishra had called on West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan yesterday and pointed out that such an ordinance could not be promulgated when the House was in session.
It was Ms. Banerjee’s election pledge to return 400 acres at Singur to farmers who unwillingly parted with their land for the small car plant which relocated to Sanand in Gujarat.
Ms. Banerjee has said an industry would be allowed to come up on the remaining 600 acres including any venture by the Tatas.
Ms. Banerjee had said since the government was committed to return the land to the farmers of Singur who have waited a long time for it, the Assembly session has been preponed and the Singur bill would be tabled in the House.
Asked why the State had appeared to be in a hurry with the ordinance, Commerce and Industries minister Partha Chatterjee said, “The government will not do anything unconstitutional.”
