Sleepless in Singur
Today morning, as I flipped through the pages of the newspaper, an announcement by Hyundai Motor India caught my attention. The news in an isolated context wouldn't have piqued my conscience. However, discreetly hidden under several perspectives on the Singur situation, it assumes a whole new meaning in the worst of times that we live in … or maybe, I’m simply being paranoid. Yes, I’m convinced that’s what it is, I’m suffering from paranoia.
Everybody else seems to have done the right thing so far—the
The news: Hyundai Motor
My paranoid thinking: How much did Hyundai pay Didi?
Just kidding (I love the Americans for inventing this turn of phrase. You can say anything you want and then just say these two golden words with a smile)!
However, some questions remain unanswered …
What happens to those people who first lost their lands, and now stand to lose their jobs if Tata backs out?
What happens to the image of
How do we deal with human rights violations instigated by the political mafia from either side of the fence?
Finally, what happens to the environment and the traffic situation once the nanos and the micros roll out?
It's time to be more than paranoid … it's time to be sleepless … in Singur or wherever you usually sleep.
posted by Anirban Ray at
1:13 PM
3 Comments:
I want to register my following queries to the so-called supporter of TATA and NANO plant (mostly commies intellectuals):
· Who is responsible for this fiasco?
- Definitely TATAs and WB Govt. Why TATA has chosen the fertile lands of Singur and not some barren lands of Birbhum or Bankura? Why WB Govt. try to bulldoze the land acquisition without taking the farmers and the opposition into confidence? Why the agreement between TATA and Govt. is still not published and kept secret? Why 1897 land acquisition law (which is meant for some Govt. project of public importance) was applied to acquire lands for private industry? CPI(M) has now become a party of promoters and real estate agent in WB. They think that their party workers can earn more if they bring big industries at any cost to Bengal because that will inflate the real estate market. So CPI(M) is now after industrialization even at the cost of poor farmers. We want answers on all these from the supporter of TATA plant before criticizing the agitation.
· Why the situation is different from other states?
- The scnerio in WB is different than other states because firstly the lands are much more fertile than the barren lands used for industry in other states like Maharashtra. Secondly people are very poor and depend solely on small pieces of land as their sole means of livelihood. If the land is taken away with whatever compensation, the whole family will lose their earning and they will become labourer. So to create employment of about 10000 people in Nano plant (mostly out of state engineers and labourers and a few Bengali as clerk) actually we will create 10000 unemployed (land owner and their family members). This is not development. Who will benefit from the Nano car? The middle class, who have power to purchase a car and not the Farmers.
· What if TATA agrees to return 400 acre of land?
- Some logic is given that if the land is returned that is not cultivable now because it has lost its fertility. But presnt land rate of Singur is 45 lakh per acre whereas the Govt rate is 12 lakh per acre. The farmers even cannot do cultivation can sell the land at higher price for real estate and be benefited.
· What if TATA leave Singur?
- TATA chosen Singur and WB not out of any affection to Bengal or for its development. They have calculated that since WB is one of the cheapest parts of India and since it is near to their steel plant at Jamshedpur, they can save a lot of money to produce the car and can sell that at cheapest price. This is not possible in Maharashtra or Gujarat where the cost of living is very high which will escalate the car price. So I don't think they will leave WB. If they do so, only part of investment of 1500 crore will be lost which was used for land filling, labour cost etc. Other things like structures, machineries can be dismantled and taken to new site and reused. So total loss of TATA will be only 150-200 crore out of 1500 crore.
- To make comments on the question raised from some quarter about the cost of Rs. 2.5 lakh per day to continue this dharna and the source of that money. Why not this question of source of money is not raised when MPs are bought openly to win trust vote, or when national parties do their convention, hiring stadium and offer free foods to thousands of their supporters? Why this is raised only for Trinamul? The allegation that this agitation will harm image of India, may I ask the image of India is not harmed when MPs show money in parliament or Christian missionaries are killed in Orissa or innocent Muslims are butchered in Gujarat? Only image is hurt when poor farmers agitate to get their land back?
Hi Anirban, I cam across you / your site through LinkedIn. We have worked in the same company, but gues haven't met. I find the posts and your book intersting read and would like to discuss more. Could you please send me yr eMail ID.
thanks
Rajat
Rajat,
You can connect with me through LinkedIn or Orkut.
Anirban
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