W B Govt not to go ahead with Rs 300 cr DLF township project

Kolkata, Jun 3(UNI) Slamming brake on urbanisation drive following poll reverses in panchayat bodies, the West Bengal Government today declared not to go ahead with the Rs 30,000-crore DLF township project at Dankuni till a concensus was reached on land acquisition.

Making it clear that the project's fate was uncertain if it faced opposition, Urban Development Minister Ashok Bhattacharjee said a new procurement committee would be formed to take up with the local Panchayat board the issue of acquiring 4,840 acres of land.

" Whether we go ahead with the project or not will depend on what the procurment committee says after consultation with the local panchayat body. If there is any opposition, the future of the project will be uncertain. Nothing will be done forcibly," he told reporters.

Dankuni, 20 km off Kolkata, is a small town in Hooghly district where the opposition Trinamool Congress recorded thumping victories in many areas in the local body polls.

DLF Ltd, country's largest developer by market capitalization, proposes to build a township spread over 4,840 acres at Dankuni.

The realty firm bagged the contract to build the township through a competitive bid in February 2007 by offering to pay around Rs 56 lakh per acre. It also offered to employ at least one person from every family displaced by the project.

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