Singur and Nandigram are diffirent: Jairam Ramesh

Kolkata, Jan 10 (UNI) Criticising the West Bengal government for ''mishandling'' the land acquisition process at Nandigram, Union Minister of state for Commerce Jairam Ramesh today said the administration should have been ''much more careful and restrained in dealing with such a sensitive situation''.

Speaking to newspersons after holding an hour-long meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee to discuss the growth prospects of various industries like tea and food processing in the state, Mr Ramesh, felt that Tata Motor's proposed small car unit was a ''must for the state''.

''In fact the process of handing over of the entire 997 acre land to the Tata Motors should be put on fast track mechanism long time back to enable them to start production on time'', the Union Minister said and called on the state government to be ''more sensitive'' in dealing with future land acquisition for the Special Economic Zones (SEZ).

Asked to comment on the recent Nandigram violence, which had claimed seven lives in East Midnapore district, Mr Ramesh agreed with the Chief Minister's view that it was a ''mistake''.

Instead of taking any unilateral decision while dealing with such a sensitive issue, the state administration should have shown restrain and moved cautiously, he felt. At the same time the Union Minister also made it clear that the state had no other option but to move ahead with the industrialisation programme with special emphasis on manufacturing and engineering sectors.

Referring to his ''very cordial'' meeting with the Chief Minister, Mr Ramesh said he had informed him about the Union Cabinet recent clearance for setting up three land customs centres on Indo-Bangladesh borders at Petrapole, Hilly and Changrabandha at a cost of Rs 200 crores,to be entirely provided by the Centre within the next 15 months.

This would be a part of the national programme under which a total of 13 such land customs centres would come up across the country at a cost of Rs 800 crores by 2008, he said adding, that seven of them would be set up on Indo-Bnagla border,four on Indo-Nepal borders and one each on Indo- Pak and Indo-Myanmar borders.

About the possibility of further growth in state based Food Processing industry, Mr Ramesh said his ministry would spend Rs 60 crores for constructing a 'Pineapple post-harvesting-cum-auction centre' at Bidhannagar near Siliguri,for a potato processing centre at Burdwan, a floriculture developmernt centre at Mallikghat on the bank of the river Hooghly and for building a modern agricultural product storing facility at Haldia Port before this year end.

Moreover, Rs 12 crores were being spent for setting up two bulk storage handling centres at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international Airport here and at Bagdogra airport near Siliguri in North Bengal, he said.

''I also apprised him of the future growth path of the Indian Tea Industry following the commissioning of the Special Purpose Tea Fund (SPTF)for rejuvination and re-plantation of saplings in 1600 odd old tea gardens,including about 70 in West Bengal, by 2020'', the union minister explained.

Mr Ramesh was accompanied by Tea Board Chairman Basudeb Banerjee during his meeting with the Chief Mminister.

UNI