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Singur and beyond

Mamata Banerjee's decision to end her `indefinite' fast on the Singur issue after 25 days of high-wire theatrics brought considerable relief to West Bengal and beyond. The relatively tame end to her hunger strike seems to have disappointed the ragbag of political friends — ranging from Naxalites through communal elements to free-floating and freelancing NGOs and individuals — who have rallied to her Singur cause to target the organised Left in a year it has scored major electoral victories. Ms. Banerjee's campaign to drive the Rs.1,000 crore Tata Motors small car manufacturing project out of West Bengal was clearly going nowhere. The Trinamool Congress leader needed a face-saving way of calling off her meaningless fast at a point where it could have turned life-threatening. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the Left Front Government must be commended for handling the situation with a shrewd mixture of firmness and reasonableness. They have made it clear that there is no going back on the virtually completed land acquisition process for the Tata Motors manufacturing complex that will come up in Singur in Hooghly district. The project, which promises to provide direct employment to 2,000 people and indirectly provide livelihood for 8,000 more, is scheduled to roll out its first Rs.1 lakh car in 2008. The Left Front Government's resolve has been helped by the clear and principled public stand of Ratan Tata, head of a business group known for its integrity, ethics, and development vision, to "dig my heels in" and stay with the project, and by his disclosure that "some of our competitors are also fuelling some of this fire."

Chief Minister Bhattacharjee has repeatedly invited the Trinamool Congress leader for talks on the Singur issues. In his fourth letter, which paved the way for the end of her fast, he cited "a list of farmers" who, according to Ms. Banerjee, had their lands taken away "without due process of law" and "substantially by force." Stating that her allegations were "not correct," he assured her that he had "an open mind to discuss all these issues." He invited her, in a civil tone, to come for talks, bringing up all the relevant issues. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Central Government deserve some credit for the constructive role they played in ending this round of Mamata-drama. But the `formula' proposed by Dr. Singh to the State Government, which would have meant keeping "in abeyance" the acquisition status of 488 of the 977 acres required for the Tata Motors project at Singur, would have taken West Bengal down a slippery slope. Fortunately, there was no question of the Left Front Government buying this solution.

Singur is all about context and verifiable fact. There has been a bottled-up demand for industry and consequently industrial land in West Bengal — and the Tata Motors project at Singur is a test case for whether this demand can be met. Under the circumstances, the permanent government of the State has made it clear that it will consolidate and strengthen its agrarian base but will diversify into industry as well. In this development strategy, the important question of land use comes to the fore. In dealing with this issue, the State Government needs to pay careful attention to the rights and livelihood of the people who will be affected by the land acquisition process. Rehabilitation is a critical question in the whole process of modernisation and, in addition, the issues of compensation and scientific land use need to be resolved soundly and justly. What is clear is that neither Trinamool nor any of the other constituents of the `Krishi Jami Raksha' has contributed anything to this debate.

What are the key facts about Singur? The State Government went about acquiring the land sought by Tata Motors not by dispossessing the people on the highly fragmented land, but by seeking their consent through offering compensation that was significantly higher than the market price. A claim office was established in the area to ensure transparency; and a temporary bank was set up to settle land compensation for small holders. Compensation for sharecroppers was factored in; and efforts have been made to provide alternative work and livelihood to the agricultural and non-agricultural workers affected. According to Government records, the landowners of 952 of the 997 acres required have given consent letters; and three-quarters of the 12,000 persons involved, including sharecroppers, have collected compensation totalling Rs.131.49 crore. It is true that Ms. Banerjee contests some of these facts, specifically in relation to 488 acres acquired for the Tata Motors project; she has alleged coercion and procedural irregularities. So the West Bengal Chief Minister has invited her to come for talks with evidence in hand. Singur is just the beginning. West Bengal, like other modernising States, needs to balance its plans for industrialisation, special economic zones, and modern infrastructure, and its wooing of investors, with great sensitivity and justness towards the rights and livelihood of the people affected by the modernisation projects. The share of net sown area in total area in West Bengal is much above the all-India average. A sensitive, data-based, and forward-looking land use policy is necessary to balance the needs of industrialisation with those of agricultural intensification and modernisation. The decision to set up a consultative mechanism within the Left Front so that all partners are not only kept informed but also get an opportunity to express their opinion on the Government's modernisation schemes, and especially on land acquisition issues, can be said to be a lesson learned from Singur.

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