WB extends deadline for cheque

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government has extended till Wednesday the deadline for Singur’s “unwilling” farmers to collect cheques as part of the new compensation package offered by it with 10% additional solatium.

As the earlier deadline ended on Monday, only 50 farmers had collected cheques. Government officials, however, claimed many more had agreed to accept the new package and that is why the deadline was extended.

Political mud-slinging is on in full swing at Singur over the new package. The Trinamool Congress claimed CPI(M) cadres were threatening farmers to accept the cheques, to which a CPI(M) spokesman said on the contrary, Trinamool members were threatening “willing” farmers.

Meanwhile, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee outlined her new course of agitation on the Singur issue on Monday evening. On September 25, 2008, Trinamool will observe ‘Singur Day’, which will include a procession and gherao of the local block development office.

The next day, it will take out a protest rally in Kolkata.

“I have also sought appointments with president Pratibha Patil and prime minister Manmohan Singh. We will seek imposition of Article 356.

“We are giving the state government seven days to implement the agreement it has reached with us in the presence of governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi. Otherwise, we will re-launch our full-fledged agitation,” she said. 
r_sumanta@dnaindia.net