Singur an exception, Nandigram a blunder: CM

Sumit Sen / TNN / Jan 20, 2007, 02:41 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Acquisition of 997.11 acres of farmland for the Tata Motors project is in the best interests of the state.

Singur an exception, Nandigram a blunder: CM

KOLKATA: Singur is an exception and Nandigram a political blunder. Acquisition of 997.11 acres of farmland for the Tata Motors project is in the best interests of the state.
Future returns from the move are immense and would largely help Bengal take a big leap forward.
On the contrary,whatever happened in Nandigram �� sparked off by a notice identifying spots for future acquisition �� was due to very poor handling of the issue by Haldia Development Authority chairman Lakshman Seth, the high-profile CPM MP from Tamluk.
But it will not deter the state from acquiring land for industrialisation in future. Of course, food security would be ensured even as cultivable farmland yields place to industries.

Likewise, interests of those displaced by land acquisition would be protected. The state will tread a cautious path and will strive to avoid taking away multicrop land as far as possible.
For sure, there will not be a repeat of Singur and Nandigram. This is what Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said in a freewheeling interview, dwelling on a range of issues from dealing firmly with his detractors, both inside and outside, to unfolding his dreams for a resurgent Bengal.

Asked about frequent criticism of the state's land acquisition policy by some of CPM's allies, the chief minister admitted there was a lack of understanding on the former's part.
"You could either see it as their failure to grasp the significance of the development path the state had embarked on or a complete lack of vision on their part. Even Lenin faced such attacks when he was leading Soviet Russia on the road to socialism."
The CM made no secret of contradictory views over the issue expressed even by renowned Left-leaning scholars, but felt these would be ironed out as he has already initiated steps to explain to them the reasons behind the state's string of actions.
According to Bhattacharjee, if Bengal has to move forward, it has to take recourse to faster industrialisation. For, the state can no longer reap high benefits from agriculture because of too much fragmentation of land.
Nearly 68% of the population still depends on agriculture for a living and about 62% of the total land mass of the state is cultivable.
But the ground reality is that money generation from agriculture is far from satisfactory. Land acquisition is, therefore, unavoidable.
"If we don't acquire cultivable lands for industrialisation, it will simply reverse the progress." The national average of fallow land is 17%, but in Bengal, it's only one percent.
While 24% of the state's territory covers urban and industrial areas, forests comprise 13% of the land mass. Thus, the state is left with no option but to use some parts of the remaining 62% agricultural land for future industrialisation.
"No one should forget that CPM was the principal architect of land reforms and it can never do anything against the interest of farmers, who are beneficiaries of such landmark reforms," Bhattacharjee said.
He welcomed the Centre's decision to postpone a meeting of the Board of Approvals putting on hold all proposals for setting up SEZs, adding that there is a need to amend the SEZ Act and rules under it.

End of Article