Singur's young farmers want land back

SINGUR (West Bengal): Anirban Bose, 20, of Gopalnagar is a school dropout. He switched to agriculture in his teens, helping his father cultivate 11 acres of land that is now part of the Tata Motors' Nano small car project in Singur.

With their farmland seized, Anirban's family members are now reduced to being part-time labourers, doing sundry jobs.

The pact Sunday between Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and the ruling Left Front government on the land row has kindled fresh aspiration among villagers like Anirban, whose lands were acquired for the project against their will. They have now started building hopes, brick by brick.

"Finally, we have won. Now we shall all get back our lands from the government," said an ecstatic Anirban, dismissing the state government's claim Monday night that the government would not let the project be affected in order to return acquired land.

The Bose family's plot is part of the land earmarked for the ancillary units. Since no construction has taken place on it so far, they see no problem in tilling the land once they get it back.

"Our situation is different from that of some others, on whose plots stand the main plant and some of the ancillary units work on which have started. Our plot of land is the same as before. And the government has to abide by the treaty with 'didi' (elder sister - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee)," Anirban said.

He said: "I cannot become a skilled worker overnight, if the Tata project comes up. I am a son of this soil and I grew up assisting my father in agriculture and I am very much at home with that."

Like Anirban, hundreds of villagers at Beraberi, Khaserbheri, Gopalnagar and Joymollah soaked in the spirit of "total victory", and thanked Banerjee, who laid siege at the project site for 15 days demanding the "unwilling farmers" be returned their land.

The agreement between the state government and the opposition Trinamool Congress led to the siege being lifted, but a section of people whose land was acquired continue to be totally opposed to the Nano project.

"If the state government thinks industry is the need of this hour, we don't have any problem. But for that, they have to formulate a proper policy keeping in mind the importance of agriculture and the interests of people involved in it. The government just cannot evict us from our own land in the name of industrialisation, issuing a short notice," said Patit Paban Ghosh, 21, of Beraberi village.    

As per the agreement, a four-member committee has been formed to look into the demands of the land losers, and submit its report in next seven days.

"We don't want the factory to be set up here. We are happy with our agriculture," Ghosh told IANS, adding, the land he had used to yield three produces every year.

"Now I don't know in what shape I'll get it back. Does it still remain an agricultural land? I doubt," he said.  

Two years ago, Tata Motors started setting up the unit at Singur for the much-touted world's cheapest car Nano, priced at Rs.100,000 ($2,500).

Since then, the project faced a stiff resistance from farmers, led by the state's principal opposition party Trinamool Congress, who objected to the acquisition of their farmland.