Wheels within wheels

For Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee the Tata project in Singur is a test case in balancing economics and emotion

Among the protestors in Singur this week was Kasinath Manna, a farmer more than 70 years old. Angry over the W. Bengal Government8217;s acquisition of land for the Tata Motors car factory, he drove home his point for retaining his now-fenced three acres: 8220;Will you believe I8217;ve married off my nine daughters with earnings from this piece of land? And now you ask me to dispose of it? I8217;d rather die to protect it than hand it over voluntarily.8221;

If farmers like Kasinath have withheld consent for handing over land for the Tata project, it8217;s not so much owing to economics as emotion. He agrees that agriculture is costly, and uncertain because of the frequent floods; but the sense of security land ownership has given him runs deep.

Even the best rehabilitation and compensation package could not have done away with the pain and tears of the transformation of agricultural Singur into industrial Singur.

Beyond that, the Singur exercise has been one that engaged the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Government8217;s skills in managing politics, administration, economics. Also one in which the government is testing waters. The Tata project involves acquisition of 997 acres, but in the months ahead, W. Bengal is likely to witness acquisition of some 40,000 acres 8212; for special economic zones, chemical hubs, highways, bridges, townships, a nuclear power plant, an airport.

Singur has to succeed for other acquisitions to begin. If Singur fails, it would be the worst setback to the pro-investment, pro-development momentum the Left Front government has generated in the last couple of years.

It is not without jitters and a massive churning in his own CPM and in other constituents of the Left Front that Bhattacharjee finally looks in a position to pull off Singur.

Officials involved in the project admit that, initially, there was a degree of overconfidence and even arrogance in the manner the government wanted to proceed. Perhaps that came from the massive poll mandate that the chief minister often boasted about.

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But things were getting increasingly difficult. For example, the government could obtain the consent of only 60 per cent of the farmers for taking over their land, and that was only with help from the CPM network. It was clear that resistance came from the grassroots and wasn8217;t just from the opposition parties.

The administration began a salvage operation, starting one-to-one dialogue with farmers, explaining the economic benefits of the project. Things improved.

So the first lesson of Singur was dialogue before, not after, acquisition. This worked for Bhattacharjee at the political level too. His repeated offers for dialogue with Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress pushed things in his favour. She could have generated popular resentment and put real obstacles before the government, but things slipped out of her hands and she lost popular respect after her legislators went on the rampage in the state assembly in her presence.

Even the rationale of her agitation is being seen as flawed, for she doesn8217;t stop at criticising the government and goes after the Tatas with slogans like, 8220;Go back Tata, we want atta.8221; Instead of pinning her agitation on seeking a better deal for the displaced, she wants the whole project to be scrapped or taken elsewhere. Medha Patkar, in comparison, raised more fundamental and genuine issues of compensation, and rehabilitation of marginal farmers and migrant farm labourers.

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A closer look at Singur also reveals that it is the migrant farmhands whom the government needs to engage. The Durgapur Expressway 8212; the only other major development initiative Singur has seen in the last 25 years 8212; has changed the dynamics of the region, bringing eight railway stations, half a dozen towns, and even Kolkata within reach. The connectivity has improved life for most of Singur8217;s people, providing many livelihood choices. People have moved from being entirely dependent on land to working on construction sites, starting small businesses, plying rickshaws.

The only real sufferers are the migrant farmhands from places like Bankura and Burdwan who come in search of work. If the government needs to help any group, it is this one.

The other significant feature that seems to be ignored by critics of the project is the natural industrial growth around Singur after the highway came into being. Even before the Tata project was conceived, hundreds of acres of farmland changed hands, with small and medium industrial enterprises coming up. Stretches of green have given way to scores of manufacturing units. There hasn8217;t been a murmur of protest.

The instability born out of Singur8217;s sudden encounter with large industry is only natural. One hopes that the clouds will disperse once the right balance is struck between agriculture and industry, between momentary losses and emerging incentives.