This refers to the editorial, “Bad precedent in Bengal” (September 2). The Supreme Court’s ruling on Singur land acquisition issue is welcome. By nullifying the acquisition of land by the erstwhile left Government for Tata Motors’ Nano plant and ordering the return of the land to the farmers, the apex court has undone the injustice done to the farmers. Thanks to the verdict, the crumbs thrown at the farmers as compensation need not be returned to the ‘usurpers’. However, post-Singur verdict, the Government and the industry cannot collude to grab the lands of the rural poor.
The judgment constrains the Government to invoke the principle of ‘eminent domain’ to acquire land from vulnerable landholders against their will and hand it over to a private firm on the pretext of serving a ‘public purpose’. It strikes a blow against the politician-industrialist nexus. The import of the judgment that people cannot be deprived of their lands and livelihoods in the name of industrialisation, cannot be disregarded when planning mega-projects.