Bengal government to push through small car project

Kolkata, Oct 4 (UNI) Rejecting the Congress demand to defer the Tata Motors' small car project, the West Bengal Government today said it would push through the prestigious venture.

''The small car factory will be set up at Singur and there will be no delay in implementing the project. Otherwise, the Tatas will leave the state,'' Industry Minister Nirupam Sen told reporters after an all-party meeting which failed to come to any consensus on the issue.

The meeting was convened by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to clarify the government's stand on industrialisation following an opposition furore protesting acquistion of farm land.

Ms Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, spearheading a militant movement against the drive to acquire agricultural land, boycotted the meeting.

While the Congress was undecided on its future course of action, alleging that the government was acquiring fertile land, the SUCI declared to oppose the project.

The Trinamool Congress has already called a statewide bandh on October nine in protest against ''destruction of agricultural land in the name of industrialisation''.

Despite declaring the party was not opposed to the small car project per se, the Congress representatives demanded at the meeting that the government keep it in abeyance until formation of a land commission. ''But we cannot afford to do that now. It is a competitive market and the Tatas have a schedule to roll out the small car by 2008,'' Mr Sen said.

He said the state government would hand over the acquired 997 acres of land to the Tatas this month.

Mr Bhattacharjee, however, agreed to prepare a land map and distribute it among all political parties to maintain transparency on the nature of land in the state.

Promising that the government would leave aside farm land as far as possible for setting up of any industry, he told the meeting that out of the total 997 acres of land acquired for the Tata project, 900 acres were marshy land and the rest multi-crop plots.

He said 610 acres of land were voluntarily given away by the owners for setting up of the proposed factory.

Appealing to all parties to cooperate with the government, Mr Bhattacharjee said the Trinamool Congress should realise the importance of the project in the move for industrial rejuvenation of the state.

Congress Legislature Party leader Manas Bhunia said his party would hold a meeting to decide the future course of action. He said the party was not opposed to industrialisation, but it would oppose any move to curtail the intrest of farmers.

Mr Bhunia said the party also demanded the government release a white paper on the Singur issue.

UNI KDG PL PA HT1732