The Hindu : Front Page : Singur agreement to be made public: Mamata

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 26, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Singur agreement to be made public: Mamata

Indrani Dutta

Photo: PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shares a laugh with Industry Minister Partha Chaterjee (right) and Finance Minister Amit Mitra (left) during a press conference in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Kolkata: Even as she said that she would welcome the Tatas setting up a unit at Singur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said here on Wednesday that the agreement signed between Tata Motors and the previous government for the Nano project would be put in the public domain within a day or two.

Briefing the Press after her second Cabinet meeting since assuming office last weekend, she said: “As a reciprocal gesture, I will reply to the congratulatory letter that he (Ratan Tata) has written, and if they request then I will welcome them to set up industry.”

However, she also said that the Singur papers are now with her department. “The agreement copy has been obtained and as per our commitment we will release it to the Press”. As an Opposition party so far the Trinamool had persistently demanded to see the agreement. On the issue of returning the disputed land at Singur, Ms Banerjee said that work has begun to find ways of returning the 400 acres. “We have started work on this and we will take a decision,” she said.

While mentioning that the State was in deep financial distress with huge debts, the Chief Minister said that her Finance Minister Amit Mitra and Finance Secretary would meet Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday to work out a rescue plan. She, however, said that despite the difficulties the State Government is lifting the embargo placed on supply of subsidised food to BPL families, especially in areas like Jangalmahal.

She also assured State Government employees that their payment was assured for the next two to three months at least. After September they will have to accept cheque payment.

Ms. Banerjee announced a massive jump in the budgetary allocation for the six North Bengal districts from Rs.60 crore to 200 crore. She has already announced setting up of a separate department for North Bengal. Reiterating her inclination to solve the problems in Darjeeling and the Jangal Mahal through talks, she said that the three elected MLAs from the district along with senior leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will be meeting her on Thursday.

She said that a master plan would be prepared, based on inputs from experts in the Universities of Jadavpur, Shibpur Engineering and IIT Kharagpur for managing droughts and floods that ravage the state cyclically. She also announced a restructuring of police force so that all law and order and traffic issues in the 141 wards under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, come within the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Police.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page