West Bengal Commerce and Industries Minister Nirupam Sen said here today that the Tatas have expressed satisfaction over the assurance given by the state government in a letter yesterday that there would be no alteration in the layout of the auto-cluster comprising the Nano mother plant at Singur and the vendor park.

Ravi Kant, Tata Motors managing director, wrote back to the state government today: “We have noted your clarification that the government will maintain the integrated nature of the auto-cluster consisting of the mother plant and the vendor park. The Government should not take any step in future which will disturb the arrangement agreed between us earlier. We must be clearly told about (any) future agreement, understanding or commitment which will go contrary to the agreement and result in not honouring your commitment (to us).”

Despite Sen’s assurance, local Trinamool MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharya, a member of the committee set up to implement the Sunday agreement, said: “We have placed a demand for 300 acres within the project area.”

Legal experts and officers engaged in the land acquisition process have told The Indian Express that meeting this demand is difficult, if not impossible. Consider these:

* Said Additional District Magistrate, Hooghly, Liyaqat Ali, involved in the Singur land acquisition: “Alternative land outside the project area can be given but the return of acquired land to original landowners is impossible.”

* Officials who acquired land for the Nano factory said that of the 997.11 acres of the total project area, only 120 acres are vacant today. “Construction work has begun on at least 850 acres inside the plant,” said a senior officer.

... contd.