Nano splits Singur wide open

At the National Highway No. 2 tyres were burnt throughout Friday night and Saturday morning by pro-Tata factory supporters. They also blocked the Durgapur Expressway that left thousands of trucks stranded. CPM supporters also tried to block trains at Kamarkundu. Amid this, the 12-hour bandh called by district CPM of Hooghly passed off peacefully.

Residents of Madhyapara area of Beraberi village that lies next to Tata Motors8217; small car factory are angry. Many of them had given up their land in the hope of a better living. Now, they are left with nothing. No sooner, Tata made the announcement, villagers gathered at the village 8216;manasatala8217;.

Many of them quickly suggested that the national highway should be blocked. Others added that the kuccha road 8212; connecting the village to the highway which also happens to be the lifeline 8212; be dug so that local Trinamool men cannot stop them from reaching the expressway. This was a complete rerun of what had happened in Nandigram in December 2006 during Trinamool8217;s agitation.

8220;My brother got a job as an apprentice in the factory. This had improved our economic condition after we had given up land willingly for the factory. Now, we have lost our land as well as our livelihood,8221; rued Akul Ruidas, a youth from Beraberi Madhyapara. Dipali Mondal of Singherbheri village has also her livelihood.

She used to work at the canteen of the Tata Motors factory till Friday after her family had given up the land and accepted money. Today, Dipali seemed speechless. 8220;We have stopped construction of our house. We now have to save money for the future. The land is gone, so has the livelihood,8221; said Dipali. She, along with 22 other women who worked in the canteen, has stopped going to work.

On Saturday, residents of various villages of Singur were clearly divided 8212; those who wanted the Tatas to return and those who wanted their land back.

8220;There is tension in the villages. We are keeping a tight vigil,8221; said an officer of Singur police station. Police also carried out a flag march in Beraberi village on Saturday morning, according to locals.

8220;Till Friday, the CPM had been patient. Now tension is running high and anything can happen,8221; said a resident of Gopalnagar village.

Villagers, belonging to the material supply syndicate of the Tata factory, meanwhile, blocked the highway. Sporting sun glasses and T-shirts, some of them burnt tyres and stopped traffic till 3 pm on Saturday. Kalyan De, one of the protesting youth, claimed that more than Rs 200 crore was invested by them in the plant and they would all be ruined if the factory closed down.

Biman slams Governor
Left Front chairman and CPM politburo member Biman Bose on Saturday urged the people of West Bengal to play a pro-active role in helping the government to implement the ongoing industrial projects such as the proposed chemical hub at Nayachar.
Bose trained his guns at Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, stating that he has overstepped his duty in communicating with the Tatas. 8220;A Governor should stick to his job. He cannot write letters to a company like Tata. That is not his job. We have never seen a Governor writing letter to a private company,8221; he said.
8220;I request the government not to give up their idea of developing Singur as an industrial zone. I hope the government will take initiative to help those Singur youths who got training at the car factory to get employment,8221; Bose told the media at the CPM headquarters on Alimuddin Street. He, however, ruled out the possibility of returning land which was leased out to the Tata Motors for 99 years.
8212; ENS