Trinamool's public meeting to disrupt NH 2

Singur, Sep 16: With the Trinamool Congress scheduled to hold a public meeting near National Highway 2 on Tuesday, Sep 16, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has asked the district administration to ensure uninterrupted movement of vehicles on the Durgapur Expressway.

A team of NHAI officials, after inspecting the site of the public meeting, told newspersons, ''We have asked the district administration to ensure that the movement of vehicles on the highway does not get disrupted. We have conducted inspection of the site and will submit our report to the higher authorities. If necessary, we might also take recourse to legal action.'' Meanwhile, Hooghly SP Rajeev Mishra said, ''We have not given permission to the Trinamool activists to organise the rally near NH 2. I had requested the party not to hold any public meeting near Durgapur Expressway and also suggested some alternative sites. I have accordingly informed the NHAI about the latest situation.'' Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to address a public meeting at 1430 hours at the same spot where she had earlier organised a 15-day long dharna to demand the return of 400 acres land from the Tata Motors small car project area to the 'unwilling farmers'.

The Left Front yesterday organised a public meeting in support of industrialisation and to convince the 'unwilling farmers' to cooperate for the smooth functioning of the small car plant.

Addressing the rally, Left Front chairman Biman Bose appealed to the Trinamool supremo to stop the agitation, claiming that the state government's rehabilitation package would benefit the farmers, bargadars and the residents here.

Mr Bose criticised the Opposition's demand of returning land to farmers, saying if the land reserved for ancillary industries under the project area was given back, Tata's Nano car factory would not materialise.

The package, he said, would be instrumental in creating employment opportunities.

He also informed that if the unwilling farmers took their cheques within September 22, they would enjoy 10 per cent incentive.

UNI