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ShareKolkata: Her movement against acquisition of farmland for Nano in Singur made her the farming community's Joan of Arc in West Bengal. Now, as railways minister, Mamata Banerjee is working on a pro-industry image.
On Saturday, she inaugurated an automobile logistics hub near Shalimar railways station in Howrah. Representatives from national auto majors, including Tata Motors, attended. Mamata said similar hubs would be set up at Siliguri in north Bengal, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Nasik, Chennai, Kerala and Guwahati.
While at it, she is trying her best to hold on to her farmer support base. She has chosen Singur as the venue for the railways' flagship perishable cargo storage project to further ensure farmers' votes during the 2011 West Bengal assembly election.
After inaugurating a cargo storage unit near Singur railway station on Sunday, Mamata said Singur's farmers can store their excess products at this unit free of cost. "Often, farmers are forced to either destroy excess products or sell them at cheaper rate. This storage facility will solve their problem to a great extent," she said.
The project is a part of the "Kisan Vision" scheme she announced at the railways budget speech for the current fiscal. The total cost of the project will be Rs3 crore.
Mamata consciously tried to project an industry-friendly image by saying that land acquired for the Nano site can be utilised for industry if farmers are returned 400 acres.
"Railway is keen to set up a wagon factory on 600 acres of land jointly with the state government," she said.
