West Bengal government starts dismantling Nano factory sheds

Mamata Banerjee

Singur (West Bengal): In the process of returning land taken from peasants for the Tata Motors Nano project at Singur in West Bengal's Hooghly district, the state government on Monday started the work for dismantling of the factory sheds, a official said on Monday.

"We have started the process of dismantling the factory sheds today (Monday)," said Hooghly District Magistrate Sanjay Bansal but gave no further details.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said the state would request the car makers to shift their materials.

Asked about the demolition of the factory sheds and administrative offices of Tata Motors at the abandoned project site, she had earlier said: "The state is following the verdict of the Supreme Court. we expect they would shift their materials; otherwise, the state will set aside the same."

The Supreme Court, on August 31, had struck down the land acquisition made by the erstwhile Left Front government for the small car factory and ordered the land be returned to the cultivators within 12 weeks.

The state government was carrying out the land survey within the project area expeditiously. "So far we have surveyed and demarcated 625 acres of land. We will resume the survey after the removal of roads and factory sheds," said Hooghly Additional District Magistrate (Land Revenue) Purnendu Maji.

Redeeming a pledge she made years back, Banerjee on Wednesday had returned 9,117 land records to farmers and compensated 800 peasants from whom land had been taken against their will.

She had also invited the Tatas to set up an auto hub over 1,000 acres in Goaltor of West Midanpore district.