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Nandigram will not be enacted in Bihar: Nitish

Patna: Any Nandigram-like incident will not occur in the State as the compensation package for acquiring farmland is the bet in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar claimed on Monday.

Farmers are willing to part with their agricultural land on their own and no force is being used to acquire land as alleged by the RJD, Mr. Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of his ‘janata durbar’ (open house).

Farmers in Nalanda and Bihta parted with 500 acres of land respectively for setting up the prestigious Nalanda Open University, a dream project of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and for an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Bihta on the outskirts of the State Capital, he said.

Similarly, farmers were “more than willing” to provide land for the establishment of a medical college adjacent to ‘Jalmandir’, a famous Jain pilgrimage centre, he said.

Mr. Kumar alleged the RJD was vitiating the atmosphere by spreading a canard that fertile lands were being “forcefully” acquired in the garb of industrialisation.

Instead of blaming the State Government for not providing land for railway expansion project, he said Lalu Prasad should concentrate on expediting and completing the projects which were already sanctioned by the erstwhile NDA government at the Centre.

He charged the Railways Minister with deliberately slowing down the completion of projects for which land had already been provided and cited the example of Railway Factory at Harnaut in Nalanda, doubling of Patna-Gaya rail line and construction of Patna-Sonepur railway overbridge.

The Chief Minister thanked LJP chief and Union Steel and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan for the setting up of a steel processing unit at Kumarbagh in West Champaran district and hoped that he would prevail upon SAIL for setting up of a giant steel factory in Bihar.

Similarly, Mr. Paswan should also ensure re-opening of the closed fertiliser unit at Barauni and setting up of a petrochemical complex, Mr. Kumar said, adding he has written to the prime minister requesting him to intervene and ensure the petrochemical complex comes up.

Mr. Kumar stressed on development of agro-based industries and said these would help in checking exodus of labourers to other states in search of jobs. The Chief Minister thanked the Chairman of Sonalika tractors, L.D. Mittal, for opening a unit at Fatuha in Patna district.

He blamed the Congress and its policies for the emergence of regional parties and said that coalition governments were here to stay in the country. “I am proud of running a coalition government successfully in Bihar,” he said and added that regional parties having a national outlook will survive in present day politics. -- PTI

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Nandigram will not be enacted in Bihar: Nitish

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