Mamata pleases the farmers by halting land acquisition

Kolkata, Jun 28: On Friday, Jun 24 the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that there would be no more land acquisition in Rajarhat area of North 24 Parganas district. She withdrew fresh land acquisition notices in Rajarhat that made the farmers happy.

On the contrary, there has been raising housing concerns for the rapidly growing population of Kolkata. A total land of 7,085 acres were acquired in Rajarhat of which 250 acres were only bought from willing farmers by the previous left-government and rest was forcefully acquired as said by Banerjee.

“We know that many farmers were anxious about this thing of land acquisition. But I want to assure them that they should not worry about it. Those who lived in constant fear of losing their land can now rest assured. Rajarhat farmers can smile and live in peace," Banerjee said.

This news brought the lost smiles on the faces of those poor farmers in Rajarhat whose lands were allegedly forcefully notified for acquisition by the previous Bengal government. One such farmer, Nurul Haq, 64-years-old rejoices and say that his plot was among the 1600-odd acres that Mamata Banerjee had promised to return.

Haq said, "I'll start farming soon. I used to cultivate 18 bighas and I'll now install a shallow pump on that plot and resume cultivation in a full fledged manner."

West Bengal Former Housing Minister Gautam Deb indirectly attacking the present Bengal government's decision on land acquisition said, "How will this urbanization happen? Will it happen on its own? Or does it need a planned intervention. That is the moot question."

OneIndia News