Singur Land: Any chance of amicable settlement? Nov 18, 2014, 09.24PM IST TNN [ Debasis Konar ] With the hearing of the Singurland acquisition case in Supreme Court likely to be deferred on Wednesday, state government officials are considering for an out of court settlement. As MamataBanerjees government want to return land to the unwilling farmers of Singurand plan to turn it a major election plank during the 2016 Assembly polls. As TataMotors counsel HarishSalve pleaded for additional time before the final hearing, so state law officials felt that the final settlement of the case will take further time. While Mamata Banerjeeis in a hurry to return land to the unwilling farmers and is keen to do it before the civic polls of May 2015, but for that the state government is not willing to depend on the SC verdict. Moreover with the recent meeting between the Mamataand five Tatagroup MDsat Nabannain end October, speculations are rife that the CM is looking for an amicable settlement for the interest of the farmers. Though the Tatagroup officials had stated that they had discussed only about some development projects and nothing about Singurdiscussed. It might be mentioned that already attempts are on by Bengal government to have a good relationship with Cyrus Mistry, chairman of Tatagroup. But the state officials raised questions -- as the character of Singurplot had been changed, so how it can be returned to the farmers, if the SC agrees to return the land. Again among the unwilling farmers there are many on whose plot the Tataplant came up. So legal experts felt that if land has to be returned then the land earmarked for the ancillary plant where no construction has been made can be returned to the unwilling farmers. It might not be the same plots of the unwilling farmers, a possibility state officials are considering. Initially, a PILwas filed by Joydeep Mukherjeeof All India Legal Aid Forum in 2007, challenging the acquisition by left Front government as it was bad in law and improper along with the compensation paid. Initially the single bench had questioned the awarding of the compensation, but later the division bench of high court dismissed the PILas the acquisition was done for public purpose. Later Mukherjeehad moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the order of the HC. In the meanwhile, Bengal government had also moved the apex court as the HChad struck down the SingurAct, enacted by Mamata Banerjeegovernment as the Presidents assent was not taken for the act. Mamata Banerjeegovernments first cabinet decision was to return land to the unwilling farmers in May 2011. Later Bengal government had passed The SingurLand Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011, empowering the state government to regain 400 acres of land out of the leased 997 acres acquired by the Left Front government to lease it to TataMotors in 2007 for Nanofactory. TataMotors pulled out of Singurin October 2008 and went to Gujrat. As Singurwas an election agenda for Mamataand with growing discontent among the unwilling farmers who had so far been siding with Trinamool, Mamatawants to clear the path for the return of land, otherwise it will be considered as a failure on her part and might result in electoral debacle. Singurland was acquired from 13,000 plot owners, but about 2000 of them refused to accept compensation for 400 acres of land.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 04:45:20 +0000
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