Bengal Govt signs land lease agreement with Tata Motors

Kolkata, Mar 9(UNI) The West Bengal Government today signed a lease agreement with Tata Motors company for the land in Singur to be used for the proposed small car factory.

Industry Secretary Sabyasachi Sen and Tata Motors Vice- President, Finance R S Thakur signed the agreement under which the state Government leased out 997 acres of land in Singur for 99 years.

The proposed project, work for which had already started, created a controversy with divergent forces, including the opposition parties and social activists going for an agitation against acquisition of agricultural land.

Demanding that the project be abandoned, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee went for a 25-day hunger strike while Narmada Bachao Andolon leader Medha Patkar launched a campaign with her associates against the Government's move.

The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government, however, claimed that the farmers had given land willingly and that there was no use of force.

UNI