Singur (West Bengal), Sep 28 (IANS) Residents of this hamlet distributed sweets, and joyously smeared each other with gulal on hearing of the Calcutta High Court judgement Wednesday upholding the act providing for return of their land.
A large number of farmers, from whom land had been taken by the erstwhile Left Front government for the Tata Motors Nano small car project allegedly against their will, thanked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her fight against land acquisition in this Hooghly district belt.
The court Wednesday rejected Tata Motors’ challenge to the government’s Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, saying it was constitutional and valid.
Within a month of forming the government in May, Banerjee enacted the act, scrapping the land lease given to the automaker by the Left Front regime for the car plant.
The automobile major shifted the Nano plant to Gujarat from Singur in 2008, succumbing to protests by farmers led by the Trinamool Congress that sought the return of 400 acres (out of the factory premises of 997 acres) taken from farmers reportedly unwilling to part with their land.
‘Even if they (the automakers) go to a higher court it will also rule in our favour,’ said a middle aged farmer.
‘We are happy that the court has said the act is constitutional. We will surely get back our land,’ said Mahadeb Das, who had been in the forefront of the anti-land acquisition agitation here that saw the Trinamool Congress climbing the popular chart and finally ending the 34 year rule of the communist led Left Front.
Since morning, many of the peasants gathered near the Singur block office hoping to get back their land.
‘We will get our land in one or two days,’ said a young woman hopefully.
The high court has appointed the Hooghly district magistrate and the superintendent of police as special officers to supervise peaceful removal of belongings from the original Tata Nano plant premises within two months from Nov 2.
The court has, however, stayed the order unconditionally till Nov 2 for the Durga Puja vacation and to give sufficient time to the parties to seek further legal redress.
