While the West Bengal town kicked out the Nano project to save its farmland that it is yet to win back, the Gujarat urban centre welcomed it with open arms and has now become a bustling automobile hub
Recently, while reading a newspaper, I came across an article which elaborated an unusual HR problem faced by factories in Sanand (Gujarat) — handling wealthy labourers. This refreshed a high-profile political agitation in my mind — the movement against setting up the Tata Motors Nano car factory in Singur, West Bengal.
The project faced much controversy during the initial stages, when the Government of West Bengal allegedly did forced acquisition of fertile land from villagers, who were sceptical about their livelihood after they had sold their land which was their main source of income.
The Opposition in West Bengal supported the farmers. A number of NGOs, environmental activists and urban intellectuals too came out in support of the farmers.
Even though Tata Motors had already built a huge infrastructure for the Nano factory in Singur, political pressure forced the company to eventually move out of the State and re-locate to Sanand, Gujarat. Ever since the re-location of the Nano plant, Sanand has seen rapid industrialisation and development.
The Gujarat Government acquired land in various villages without much opposition, as the lands were purchased at about four times the market price. The villagers possibly would not have earned that much money in their entire lifetime.
It was reported that it took just about 10 days for the Gujarat Government to seal the deal. The first Nano car rolled out of the Sanand factory in June 2010. For Tata Motors, Singur was a hostile ground whereas Sanand was a conducive place.
Today, many of Sanand villagers, who turned millionaires overnight, own luxury cars and exude a sense of neo-prosperity. Many others parked their new money in land assets, gold and bank deposits.
The re-location of the Nano plant to Sanand transformed that urban centre into an industrial/auto hub. Many ancillary units — to supply various components to the Nano car factory — have also come up in the region. So far, more than 400 mega companies including Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Magna International, Cadila Healthcare, Hitachi, Colgate and Palmolive have set up their units or offices in and around Sanand.
Subsequently, the city has became a hub for billions of dollars worth investments from some of the largest companies in the world. Ten financial organisations have already opened branches in Sanand after the Nano project.
On the other hand, in West Bengal, riding on the pro-farmer campaign, Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress came to power, ending the 34-year-long left rule in the State.
However, the land acquisition case is still lying unresolved — under layers of files with the Supreme Court. Thus, the economic fate of the farmers in Singur remains dismal. The village people are unsure as to what lies in store for them.
land-related agitations have become a threat for sustainability of the industrialisation process, and consequently, India’s industry- and investment-friendly image are under siege.
It’s high time for us to learn lessons from the past and make sure to avoid similar issues that may crop up in the near future. The time for damage control is now.
We have to bring in more reforms. We can only mark the footprints in terms of growth, with the core belief that the yield of growth and development must reach out to the weakest, most deprived sections of the populations.
Additionally, the Government must place sustainability at the centre of its thoughts and actions, working on the principle that ascent cannot be limited by the barriers of time and space — the super structure has to be on the very foundation of the past, leveraging the opportunities of the present, and preserve, if not multiply, resources for the future.
In an attempt to bridge the balance between economic growth and conservation and the protection of environment, economists have been using the term, ‘sustainable development’.
Sustainable development refers to meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations.
Our planet needs green growth and gainful employment opportunities for millions of people who live in miserable conditions, which includes poverty, but who rightly aim at a better and prosperous future with a decent standard of living.
As changes are marking its footprint in all spheres everywhere, it is time for us to stand together for the cause of sustainable development.
(The writer is director, Fore School of Management)