State may turn into no-go zone for industry
The Supreme Court's historic judgement on Wednesday stating that “the process of acquiring lands in Singur in 2006 by the Tata's was a farce” will help restoring land to the weaker sections of society, more so to poor farmers. But this verdict will send a wrong signal to the industry players who are expecting a better deal from Government agencies for possessing lands for setting up factories across the country. This judgement will set a bad precedent not only for West Bengal but also other State Governments which will now be apprehensive of allotting lands for commercial ventures.
This remains confusing in the verdict. How has the apex court asked the State Government to return land to the farmers and at the same time, allowed the latter to retain the compensation they received for selling their land in the pastIJ At a time when the Union Government is making all round efforts to woo investors from both India and abroad, the apex court's pronouncements will be taken in bad taste. As there has always been an apprehension among major global industrial players that marshalling through India's ossified bureaucratic and legal hassles remain a cause of serious concern, now this kind of an outright judgement will make them doubly worried. The Government must ensure that land acquisition for new industrial ventures is simpler; meaning less paperwork and one window opportunity. In this kind of cases, the court may restrain itself from pronouncing verdicts which impact the development trajectory of the nation.
Above all, the 204-page verdict delivered by a bench of justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra is one of the most remarkable political victories for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party the Trinamool Congress, over arch rival the CPI(M). The apex court while highlighting and questioning the acquisition process of the 997 acres of agricultural lands, proclaimed that the “brunt of development” should not be borne by the underprivileged, especially farmers who do not have adequate means to fight against the state. Endorsing the TMC Government's attempt to reclaim the acquired lands from Tata Motors, for which it enacted the Singur land Rehabilitation and Development Bill in 2011, the Court pronounced that the State Government was not playing politics if it tried to reverse the doings of its predecessor in public interest.
But we must not miss the bigger picture — Bengal needs development. Most industries have already left the State facing worker's strikes propelled by labour unions during the long left Front rule. Now, this verdict is being celebrated by Banerjee though it will not make the State a better place. She can rejoice her political triumph but that will not help her supporters who are searching for employment. The coming of an industry like the Tatas to West Bengal could have generated more employment and her Government, instead of evicting the country's most prestigious industry house from the State, should have negotiated for a settlement under which the members of the affected families would have got jobs as per their abilities. Didi must avoid populist politics, she must concentrate on Bengal's welfare and future development.