Farmland for industrial use, Bengal hits the reform road

Within a week of its induction, the seventh Left Front government in West Bengal agreed in principle today that impediments in using agricultural land for industry will be removed.

Within a week of its induction, the seventh Left Front government in West Bengal agreed in principle today that impediments in using agricultural land for industry will be removed. This includes agricultural land with more than one crop a year.

“Complications over the issue have been sorted out,” said government officials. The announcements are likely to be made tomorrow. It was learnt that Minister for Commerce and Industries Nirupam Sen and Minister for Land Reforms Abdur Rezzak Mollah will meet tomorrow to finalise the modalities of land acquisition.

Hardliner Mollah—perceived to be the real opposition in the WB government’s deal with the Indonesia-based Salim Group—has given his approval. “Both the party and the government has agreed to the idea of industrialisation on agricultural land. Now I don’t see any reason for objection,” said Mollah.

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“My only concern is to see that those evicted are suitably rehabilitated. I have a rehabilitation package ready which I will table in tomorrow meeting,” he said.

There are a number of proposals for industrial takeover of land which have landed in troubled waters. These include projects of Salim Group, Tata, Infosys, Indo-food, ICICI Bank, Wipro and land for a chemical hub at Haldia.

According to land department sources, Mollah has conceived of a plan in consultation with Bhattacharjee, which puts down certain mandatory conditions for land acquisition by industrial houses. The industries will have to provide shelter for people living Below Poverty Line (BPL), who would be evicted in the takeover of land by industries.

Meanwhile, the much-awaited Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Salim Group will be handed over to the state government on June 8.

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The proposal includes a Knowledge City, a Health City and an industrial township. Moreover, the Salim Group has proposed to construct an 80 km expressway from Barasat to Raichawk, which will also require land acquisition from farmers.

The TATA group’s project at Singur, Hooghly, will also require the takeover of agricultural land. According to land department sources, most of the land in the area is used for multi-crop farming. But after tomorrow’s meeting, there will be no hiccups in acquiring even the multi-crop land, the sources said.

The Salim group’s proposal to set up their project had been met with stiff resistance from the party, including its frontal organisation Krishak Sabha, a majority of whom pleaded that the character of landuse should not be changed.