Bengal plans new Singur package

To preempt any possible political or social hurdles to its attempts to make industrial use of Singur land, the West Bengal government is planning a new compensation-cum-rehabilitation package for farmers whose land was acquired for the now-shifted Tata Nano project.

Once the package is announced, the government will try and persuade Tatas to return to Singur with an alternative project.

State industry & finance department sources said the package aimed to kill two birds in one stone – convince “unwilling farmers” to legally accept compensation and reassure investors. “In fact, the new, comprehensive land acquisition policy that the government is framing focuses on the Singur package, which is in the final stages of preparation,” a senior industry department official said.

The official hinted that the new package would include a clause on alternative land, so that there is scope for shifting projects. There is also a proposal to return a percentage of the acquired land after development to original owners, who can sell it at a higher price after industrialisation.

The new initiative is the government’s last-ditch effort to get Tatas back to Singur.
An industry analyst close to the Tata Group pointed out that though Sanand in Gujarat had been finalised as the mother plant for Nano, the small car could be assembled at another place. And this is where West Bengal is fancying its chances.