Sworn enemies on the same side over land acquisition to build 3,770-km-long concrete embankment

Land acquisition has always been a bone of contention between the Left Front government and the Trinamool Congress. In fact, Trinamool’s spectacular victory in the recent elections is largely attributed to its stringent opposition to land acquisition.

But this is one case in which both the state government and the Trinamool have agreed on the need for land acquisition in North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas districts, where the government plans to acquire 14,209 acres to build a 3,770-km-long concrete embankment in the Sunderbans to save the area from the fury of nature like cyclone and floods.

The government took the decision to build the embankment following the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Aila that hit the state on May 25, killing 200 people, and destroying properties worth Rs 36,000 crore approximately. It was during his visit to Hingalganj in North 24-Parganas district following the disaster that Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was requested by villagers to build solid embankments to prevent a repeat of the devastation.

The Centre has already sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore for the project and an expert committee has been formed to execute the project.

In a letter issued on October 22, state Land Reforms Commissioner Balbir Ram informed the Irrigation department that he has fixed the price of the land to be acquired at Rs 6.17 lakh per acre and a total estimate of about Rs 9,000 crore has been sent to the Centre for its approval. In the last Union budget, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore for the project.

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