Comes up with a new land use policy to enable the conversion of agriculture land into industrial one within a day

Nearly four months after the Tatas pulled out their Nano project from Singur after a protracted battle over land acquisition, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has asked the government to introduce more liberal land acquisition process to woo capital.

At a meeting of cabinet sub-committee on industry headed by Bhattacharjee, it was decided that the conversion of agriculture land would be made within a day in case of any proposal for industry.

The meeting was held in the chief minister’s chamber, where the CM had summoned the Land and Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah. Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta and Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharjee were also present.

Emerging from the meeting, Sen said in case of land purchased or acquired to set up industries, the character of the land will be changed within a day. “We have taken some steps in this regard and no one will have to wait in uncertainty for conversion of land character,” Sen said.

CPM sources said the party has received reports from various parts of the state that people did not want to give up their land to the government as they were not sure of getting adequate compensation on time.

Huge tracts of land were acquired at Haldia and Rajarhat when Jyoti Basu was the chief minister and in many cases, the land owners did not get the price and compensation on time. Even in case of land acquisition for a state-run power project at Bakreswar, those whose land was acquired had to face similar problems.

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