Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to get the same bitter medicine from land losers that she once prescribed for the erstwhile left Front Government even as more farmers from Bolpur in Birbhum district and Anandpur in the eastern suburbs of Kolkata joined the ongoing agitation for return of their lands along with hefty compensation and rehabilitation package from the Government.
Apparently bolstered by the Supreme Court judgment directing return of land at Tata Nano site to the farmers hundreds of land losers demonstrated outside of the office of the Shantiniketan-Sriniketan development authority at Bolpur demanding their lands back.
A huge chunk of 300 acres had been acquired in 2001 by the left Front Government. “We had given the land for industrial activities hoping that our next generation will get jobs. But now as the Government has done nothing here we want our lands back so that we can resume cultivation,” said the agitators protesting against Government’s plans to develop smart city and an urban township in the area.
“Those in the Government are trying to give the land to builders and mint money. There is a nexus between the political leadership and the builders. But we will not allow that as the land was given for industrial purpose. If they cannot bring industry here then let them return our lands,” the agitators said.
Nearer to Kolkata hundreds of men and women charged at the police force which had gone to Anandpur area to reclaim 40 acres of land from the squatters who claimed to have settled in the area for the past 40-50 years.
“The Government is fencing the area without fixing any compensation for us. We will not allow this. We will be left with no job as we earn our livelihood by fishing and growing vegetables in the neighbouring wetlands here. First the Government should give us compensation and rehabilitation then it should take the land,” the locals said even as the police remained a silent onlooker.
“If the farmers of Singur can get their lands back along with compensation then why can’t we,” they asked.
Incidentally similar movements had plagued the developmental process at Nandigram, Singur, De Ganga and other places during the left Government.
Meanwhile, the Government continued to pull down the Tata Nano shed at Singur employing huge earthmovers, ladders and fire brigade machines.
The locals waited for the formal handover of their respective lands — a large part of which still needed to be cleared off the Nano site — notwithstanding the receipt of papers that had been given to them by Mamata last week.