Acting quickly after the Supreme Court verdict directing Bengal Government to return the land acquired for the Tata Motors in Singur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she would take all possible steps to follow the apex court’s directive and return the land within the stipulated time.
As a bonus the Chief Minister said, “The land that had been rendered uncultivable on account of industrial activity would be restored to its cultivable condition and returned to the respective farmers.”
She said a circular would be out as early as Thursday and land survey would begin on Friday sharp. “The survey work will be completed within two weeks and the procedure to return the land will begin thereafter,” Banerjee said adding the Government will follow the Court directive returning land to both the willing and unwilling farmers.
“Everyone will get his or her land at the place where it was before acquisition,” she said adding the compensation amount for the unwilling farmers who had not accepted cheques of compensation would be given to them in addition to the land.
The Government will not ask the farmers who took compensation by giving their lands to return the same she added.
She also said after a high-level meeting that there was no need to worry for the lands which had been rendered unfit for cultivation.
“The question is being raised that what will happen to the lands which are uncultivable. The Government undertakes to return such lands by restoring them to their pre-acquisition condition.”
The Chief Minister’s announcement came in the wake of the Supreme Court order which said that the 2006 acquisition of land at Singur was illegal because of procedural lapses which meant that the farmers were not given adequate hearing before their lands were acquired by the Government.
The Court had ordered the land to be returned within 12 weeks. The Chief Minister said she would follow the verdict in letter and in spirit.
Meanwhile, within hours of the Apex Court order landowners of Burdwan off the Durgapur Express way jammed road and raised slogans demanding their lands back too. A piece of 10 acres was acquired by the Government in the area for constructing a “Sweet Hub.”
Burdwan is famous for sweetmeat like lengcha, Sitabhog, Mihidana etc.
Refusing to let the issue go into the hands of the opposition parties in the wake of Supreme Court order on Singur the Chief Minister acted promptly saying she had asked the district collector to explore other places for the proposed hub and assured steps would be taken to return the acquired land.