WB CM still condemns opposition for agitation over Singur

WB CM still condemns opposition for agitation over Singur
TAMAL SENGUPTA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 03, 2007 10:30:39 PM]


KOLKATA: Despite Wednesday’s surprise clash between police and local villagers in CPI-controlled Nandigram near Haldia over a rumoured land acquisition for Salim Group SEZs, West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee continued to lambast the opposition for agitating over Singur.

Mr Bhattacharjee maintained that there was no way out “but to acquire multi-crop land for industrialisation since 62 per cent of the total state land was farmland”.

“But our government is offering adequate compensation to land losers at Singur. For every acre of single-crop land, we are offering Rs 9 lakh and for the same amount of multi-crop land, the government is paying Rs 12 lakh. No state in the country offers such generous compensation for land acquisition,” the chief minister claimed.

“The opposition party is also aware of these facts. But they are not ready to accept the truth about Singur and keep criticising the state government only for the sake of opposing our move,” Mr Bhattacharjee told a gathering organised to mark completion of CPIM mouthpiece, “Ganashakti” in Kolkata on Wednesday.

This was for the first time Mr Bhattacharjee remarked about the role played by the opposition party over Singur issue after Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee ended her fast on December 28. The chief minister had been silent on Singur since December 28.

Earlier in the day, he brushed aside rumours in the political grapevine that notices had been served at Nandigram for setting up twin SEZs by Indonesia-based Salim Group. He also stressed that the state was not only offering compensation to Singur land-losers, but also striving hard for their economic rehabilitation.

“We have arranged various training programmes for land losers who may be inducted in the Tata Motor’s small car project or the ancillary units which will come up at Singur after completion of their training,” Mr Bhattacharjee said. CPIM all-India general secretary Prakash Karat and CPIM state secretary Biman Bose also spoke on the occasion.

Link http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/WB_CM_still_condemns_opposition_for_agitation_over_Singur/articleshow/1041152.cms