The Hindu : Front Page : Adopt people's agenda: Medha Patkar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 30, 2006
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Adopt people's agenda: Medha Patkar

Special Correspondent

Stresses need for approval of locals for acquisition of land

KOLKATA: Opposing indiscriminate conversion of farmland to industrial sites without the consent of the local people, social activist Medha Patkar said here on Sunday that such a trend was in evidence across the entire country and there were States which were ahead of West Bengal in their move in this direction.

Support at stake

On the situation in West Bengal, she said that the Government should adopt "a people's agenda or else it would lose popular support."

She had visited Singur in Hooghly district last week where the Government is acquiring land to facilitate the setting up of an automobile manufacturing plant by Tata Motors.

Ms. Patkar told journalists she was not against the setting up of small-scale enterprises or even big industries, but for acquisition of land for such purposes there should be a rehabilitation policy with the approval of the local people.

She also warned against pressure from various quarters, including industry, to withdraw the Urban Land Ceiling Act. This would spell doom for the poor, she said.

Senior leader of the Communist Party of India and West Bengal Minister for Water Resources Nandagopal Bhattacharjee ruled out any rift within the ruling Left Front on the Government's plans for greater industrialisation.

"Underlying the Government's industrialisation plans is the protection of the agriculture economy and the interests of farmers. There can be difference in views among the Left Front constituents on certain issues but they will always be sorted out as Left Front unity is of paramount importance," Mr. Bhattacharjee told a meeting here of farmers organised by the West Bengal Pradeshik Kishan Sabha.

"No right"

Mr. Bhattacharjee also came down strongly against the Trinamool Congress "which has no right to speak in favour of farmers' interests as its leaders, along with the Congress, have steamrolled the interests of the farmers even as the Left Front has initiated land reforms."

The Trinamool Congress is spearheading an agitation against the acquisition of land for the car- manufacturing project at Singur.

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