Singur may spark yet another row over land

Singur, the erstwhile site for Tata Motors’ Nano project, is probably heading for another controversy. Just as the West Bengal government was thinking of ways to get back land from the Tatas, the later renewed its lease agreement till March 31, 2011.

The company has handed over a cheque worth Rs1 crore to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) as the advance annual lease amount for the land.

This has led to the question: Why has the government accepted the cheque when it has announced its intention to get back the land?

A WBIDC source told DNA the government had no option but to accept the cheque as it is yet to formalise the modalities of getting the land back. “The Tata Group chairman, after his last meeting with state industry and commerce minister Nirupam Sen, clearly said that Tata Motors is willing to give the Singur land back to the state, provided the company is adequately compensated for the expenses it incurred in developing the land,” a WBIDC associate said. “Now, neither the compensation amount has been worked out, nor has the mode of payment been finalised. In such a situation, we had no option but to accept the cheque.”

He said he doesn’t know if Tata Motors has other plans for the land.

The state industry department and Tata officials are tight-lipped on the matter.