Buddhadeb issues another appeal to Mamata on Singur issue

Kolkata, Aug 25 (UNI) Giving another call for reconciliation over the Singur impasse, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today appealed to Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee to continue dialogues on the issue.

According to the secretariat of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhattacharjee sent another letter to the Trinamool chief to hold talks with the government so that the political problem over land acquisition for the Tata Motors small car project could be amicably sorted out.

Though details of the letter were yet to be made official, it was learnt that the Chief Minister urged Ms Banerjee to present her alternative plan for setting up the ancillary industries for the Nano car project if 400 acres of land was given back to the farmers.

On August 20, the Chief Minister and state Industry Minister Nirupam Sen had discussed with Leader of the Opposition Partho Chatterjee the possible ways to break the stalemate without having to part with the portion of the project land. But the meeting fell through as the Trinamool stuck to its demand.

While the government tried to explain to the Opposition the need for the entire stretch of 997 acres of land acquired for the project, the Trinamool claimed that the party had a viable alternative plan for sustenance of the integrated project even after curtailing 400 acres out of the site.

Peeved at the unabated turmoil that was hindering the project, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata had sounded a pull-out threat on August 22, saying the company would have no option but to relocate the Nano car project elsewhere out of West Bengal if the violence and disruption at work place continued.

The Tata Motors has set a deadline of October this year for rolling out the Rs one lakh car from its Singur factory.

However, unfazed by Mr Tata's warning, Ms Banerjee declared to go ahead with her indefinite dharna near the project site from August 24.

On the first day of the dharna, that virtually laid seige on the project, Ms banerjee was joined by Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and social activist Medha Patkar.

She declared that her agitation would not cease unless the demand to return the 400 acres land ''forcibly acquired from the unwilling farmers'' was met.

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