Dasmunsi feels Tatas be convinced to sacrifice some land

Kolkata, Sep 29 (UNI) Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi today said the state government should convince the Tatas to ''sacrifice'' some land from within the project area to clear decks for the small car project at Singur.

Interacting with the media here, Mr Dasmunsi, who is the also state Congress president, said, '' The stalement regarding setting up of the Nano plant at Singur will not be resolved unless the Tatas, state government and Bhumi Raksha Committee(BRC) stop themselves from being stubborn at their standpoints. It is the ruling government's duty to convince Mr Ratan Tata for sacrificing some land from the 1000-acre small car project to sort out the issue. '' '' It is not a playground on which Tata Motors feel it fit to issue pullout threats at any juncture. I do not know why the Left parties are bowing to their demands, '' he remarked.

He suggested that Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee should come up with a ''land for land'' package or increase the compensation amount or else guarantee employment in the factory for the families from whom land had been acquired.

'' We want the Tata Motors' Nano project to stay and the farmers' interest be protected, '' he said.

Moreover, he said the agreement between the state government and Leader of the Opposition, signed in presence of Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, was not put into operation.

Neither was maximum land within the project identified for the farmers nor was any attempt by the state government made to acquire further plot in the adjacent areas as it was promised and agreed upon, he rued.

'' Since the government opined that the land once acquired cannot be returned, we fail to understand why such agreement was made at all, '' the Minister added.

'' We understand that through negotiation, some settlement could have been reached to rehabilitate the farmers on the basis of 'land for land' package which the Pradesh Congress had been upholding during the past few months, '' he said.

Furthermore, he stated '' We held a meeting with the Governor today at the Raj Bhavan and commended his inititatives towards mediating talks between the BRC representatives and the state government. We had also urged Mr Gandhi for calling an all-party meeting which the Governor has agreed. '' The Congress would attend the meeting and place forth its suggestions, he informed.

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