Experts urge restraint in land acquisition
Experts feel the WB govt needs to exercise greater caution before pressing ahead with its ambitious land acquisition bid for industrial ventures.
By TNN |
KOLKATA: If anything, the political backlash over state-driven farmland acquisition in West Bengal looks set to rise even as Singur’s aftershocks echo in distant Nandigram. Perhaps, it comes as no surprise that instead of deploring the year’s first bandh, leading business houses and B-school pundits feel the “state government needs to exercise greater caution” before pressing ahead with its ambitious land acquisition bid for industrial ventures.
ET spoke to a cross-section of the city’s business community to get a fix on the pulse in the wake of the upsurge in violence over farmland acquisition in the state. That the West Bengal government should tread carefully on the land acquisition and resolve tricky issues like compensation to land-losers, was the universal refrain.
Here’s what Prof Anindya Sen, Dean, programme initiatives at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, had to say. “People had begun to accept Singur. But Nandigram seems to be a different case. Hence, the state government needs to carefully look into the compensation packages as well as alternative livelihood options. Opposition parties also need to understand that unless they change their tactics, the process of industrialisation in West Bengal will receive a setback.”
A first-year IIM-C student Vijay Anand Menon, however, felt that corporates willing to test the waters in West Bengal would pull out if the prevalent bandh culture doesn’t change fast.
“It appears that the government had been working on the assumption that all its ctions will be accepted by the public at large. The ruling party should seek a consensus on the controversial land acquisition issue. It also needs to demonstrate the benefits of industrialisation before buying land from farmers,” said A K Doshi, partner with city based chartered accountant firm Doshi Chatterjee Bagri & Co.
Echoing similar sentiments, Keventer Group chairman M K Jalan said: “When commoners realise that the projects will benefit them, these incidents of violence will come to a stop.” The group is planning to acquire some 3,000 acres of land to execute the Kulpi mini port and SEZ in partnership with DP World.
“We just hope it gets resolved soon. Some kind of a better understanding on what should be the way forward for growth and development of the state prevails,” Harshavardhan Neotia, managing director, Ambuja Realty Group, said.
When contacted, Dhunseri group chairman C.K. Dhanuka did not mince words. “The issue is being unnecessary politicised. Political parties of all shades and colour are busy getting political mileage out of the land acquisition issue in West Bengal. I strongly feel that chief minister should now play a ‘googly’. He should make a formal announcement to abandon all the upcoming industrial projects in the state including the auto unit of Tata Motors. Let the opposition parties feel the backlash,” he said.
Incidentally, JSW Steel is clearly unfazed by the developments and sent in their invite on the MoA ceremony to be held in Kolkata on Thursday.
Streets in the metropolis wore a deserted look as most private buses, mini buses and taxis remained off the roads. Only some state-run buses and trams were plying. Metro services, however, remained normal.
Though transport was few and far between senior officials and executives of chartered accountant firms and manufacturing companies did report for work. Train services too were affected.
“What surprised me today was that the government did not seem to have put in enough effort to provide transport services. And this after Subhas Chakraborty gave his assurances that besides running state buses, he would speak to private operators to run private buses as well,” said Dr Sen. Police and administration needs to be toned up as well so that they can step in and diffuse the tension as soon as possible.
ET spoke to a cross-section of the city’s business community to get a fix on the pulse in the wake of the upsurge in violence over farmland acquisition in the state. That the West Bengal government should tread carefully on the land acquisition and resolve tricky issues like compensation to land-losers, was the universal refrain.
Here’s what Prof Anindya Sen, Dean, programme initiatives at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, had to say. “People had begun to accept Singur. But Nandigram seems to be a different case. Hence, the state government needs to carefully look into the compensation packages as well as alternative livelihood options. Opposition parties also need to understand that unless they change their tactics, the process of industrialisation in West Bengal will receive a setback.”
A first-year IIM-C student Vijay Anand Menon, however, felt that corporates willing to test the waters in West Bengal would pull out if the prevalent bandh culture doesn’t change fast.
“It appears that the government had been working on the assumption that all its ctions will be accepted by the public at large. The ruling party should seek a consensus on the controversial land acquisition issue. It also needs to demonstrate the benefits of industrialisation before buying land from farmers,” said A K Doshi, partner with city based chartered accountant firm Doshi Chatterjee Bagri & Co.
Echoing similar sentiments, Keventer Group chairman M K Jalan said: “When commoners realise that the projects will benefit them, these incidents of violence will come to a stop.” The group is planning to acquire some 3,000 acres of land to execute the Kulpi mini port and SEZ in partnership with DP World.
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“We just hope it gets resolved soon. Some kind of a better understanding on what should be the way forward for growth and development of the state prevails,” Harshavardhan Neotia, managing director, Ambuja Realty Group, said.
When contacted, Dhunseri group chairman C.K. Dhanuka did not mince words. “The issue is being unnecessary politicised. Political parties of all shades and colour are busy getting political mileage out of the land acquisition issue in West Bengal. I strongly feel that chief minister should now play a ‘googly’. He should make a formal announcement to abandon all the upcoming industrial projects in the state including the auto unit of Tata Motors. Let the opposition parties feel the backlash,” he said.
Incidentally, JSW Steel is clearly unfazed by the developments and sent in their invite on the MoA ceremony to be held in Kolkata on Thursday.
Streets in the metropolis wore a deserted look as most private buses, mini buses and taxis remained off the roads. Only some state-run buses and trams were plying. Metro services, however, remained normal.
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Though transport was few and far between senior officials and executives of chartered accountant firms and manufacturing companies did report for work. Train services too were affected.
“What surprised me today was that the government did not seem to have put in enough effort to provide transport services. And this after Subhas Chakraborty gave his assurances that besides running state buses, he would speak to private operators to run private buses as well,” said Dr Sen. Police and administration needs to be toned up as well so that they can step in and diffuse the tension as soon as possible.
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