Farmers who stand to lose their land to Tata Motors' small car project in Hooghly district on Wednesday vowed not to part with their property, as they took out a protest march backed by an outfit of the opposition Trinamool Congress.
"We will not give up three-crop and four-crop land for industries," shouted the farmers, who were accompanied by their family during the march.
They were joined at Gopalnagar by leaders of the TC-led Paschimbanga Gantantrik Front, including Partha Chattacherjee, the leader of the Trinamool legislature party.
The farmers, who have formed an organisation called the 'Jami Raksha Committee' (Save the Land Committee) with the backing of Trinamool Congress and Left opposition party, SUCI, said that they would not hand over their land to the government under any circumstances, even if the compensation package was made still more attractive.
Chatterjee, who was accompanied by senior TC leaders including Saugata Roy and those of the allies of the Front like Janata Dal(U) and Communist Revolutionary League of India, said that 70 per cent of the 1,000 acres to be acquired produced three to four crops annually, including potatoes.
He told PTI that 20 per cent of the land produced two crops. "We will not allow the government to take away this land as it sustains the livelihood of farmers."
{{/usCountry}}He told PTI that 20 per cent of the land produced two crops. "We will not allow the government to take away this land as it sustains the livelihood of farmers."
{{/usCountry}}"We fail to understand why the government is allowing the investors to choose the land of their own choice even at the cost of affecting farmers' interests. It is regrettable that the state government officials are accompanying investors to choose the land," Chatterjee said.
The state government, he said, should set up a 'search committee' for identifying land for industries without jeopardising the interests of farmers.
The Trinamool leader said that 41,000 acres were locked up in closed industries in West Bengal of which 13,000 acres of land were under litigation.
The land of the closed industries, he said, could be given to investors for setting up new industries.
Besides Trinamool leaders, CRLI leader Ashim Chatterjee, Janata Dal (U) state president Amitava Dutta, leaders of a naxalite faction and a breakway CPI(M) group Barnali Dutta and Sumanta Hira respectively addressed the rally.