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Can Naidu Follow From The Example Of Tatas?

Can Naidu Follow From The Example Of Tatas?

Tata Motors decided to establish a car manufacturing facility in Singur, West Bengal. The State government acquired 997 acres of farmland to enable the Tatas to build their plant there. Due to subsequent local and political opposition, the project went into limbo.

In 2008, the Tatas decided to pull out from West Bengal and announced their new plant at Sanand, Gujarat.

The Tatas learned from their mistake in West Bengal. In West Bengal, the government had acquired extremely fertile land at a pittance by using the provisions of an 1894 Land Acquisition Act. Thus the local opposition was understandable. Unfortunately, there was trouble initially in Gujarat too.

Immediately after the Gujarat Deal was announced, around 3000 farmers from the six villages earmarked for the Tata plant protested thinking that the government was trying to usurp their lands for free.

Desirous of not repeating the Singur mistakes, the Gujarat government brought the protesting farmers to the negotiating table, explained that it was not trying to acquire their land for free and declared an acquisition price that was a multiple of the market price. The opposition dissolved and all famers willingly cooperated with the government’s decision.

Is there any way, Naidu can learn from the above example when it comes to his land pooling scheme? Maybe, maybe not! In the above instance, there was transparency on what the land would be used for.

However, in Naidu’s case, apart from an agreement inked with Singapore, there is absolutely no transparency regarding the new capital or its master plan.

Naidu is also shying away from addressing the issue directly and instead deputing his subordinates to accomplish the mission of land acquisition.

Why cannot there be an open transparent meeting with all the farmers concerned where Naidu himself can assuage their fears?

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