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Mamata returns land, invites Tata, BMW
SINGUR: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday the government would grant 1,000 acres out of its land bank in Goaltore to any firm -—Tata Motors
SINGUR: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday the government would grant 1,000 acres out of its land bank in Goaltore to any firm -—Tata Motors or BMW — that wanted to set up an automobile factory in Singur, even while launching a programme to return land to farmers.
In her 45-minute speech, the CM focussed on agriculture and industry. She said, “We are giving them a month’s time. We have a lot of land in Panagarh (Burdwan district), Kharagpur (West Midnapore) and Goaltore. There are other areas too.”
In October 2008, Tata had to abandon building its first Nano factory in Singur after facing stiff resistance. “We will keep the land. (If you want to set up industry) ... please contact finance minister Amit Mitra or the chief secretary. Our message is very clear. We must set up industry and save agricultural land,” she said.
She further said, “We are working with many of their (Tatas) companies. Tomorrow we will have an agreement with one of them.” Last week, she returned from Munich, where she made a sales pitch to BMW.
The government distributed 806 cheques and land record documents to 9,117 people. “We have kept our word. Let this be an example to the rest of the country,” Banerjee said, who promised to return the land within the 12-week deadline set by the court.
Tata Motors had got the Singur land to set up a plant to produce the Nano car, which was scheduled to roll out in 2008. But the land acquisition was done under a legal provision for public improvement projects, and was opposed by activists and Mamata’s Trinamool Congress.
The Supreme Court had on August 31 held the land acquisition process faulty, and directed the state government to return the land to the farmers within 12 weeks.
The Trinamool chief said that without the Singur movement, the Nandigram agitation would not have taken place.
