During the hearing in the Calcutta High Court over Singur Act,Tata Motors counsel Samaraditya Pal on Friday approached Advocate General,the Bengal government,Anindya Mitra for a workable solution. Pal requested Mitra to meet during the weekend for a discussion but Mitra sought time to decide. Tata Motors has challenged the Singur Act in the High Court,claiming it to be illegal and unconstitutional and also sought to restrain the state government from taking possession of the 645 acres of land which had been leased out to Tata Motors for setting up the companys car plant. If some legal quarters took the Tata Motors request today as an offer for an out-of-the-court settlement,a company spokesperson clarified: In the light of media reports of distribution of land in Singur,Pal said he requested the Advocate General to agree that status quo as regards to distribution of land be maintained in view of the ongoing hearing. In response,the AG said it is not possible for him to respond right away. He will think it over the weekend and communicate on Monday. After the hearing,advocate Sidhartha Mitra,another counsel of the Tata Motors,said the group has some proposals for the state government which it wanted to discuss with the Advocate General. If the discussion between Pal and Mitra could resolve the issue,it would be informed to the court,said he. Pal said he came to know from the media reports about setting up of a committee for distribution of land to the unwilling farmers or land owners. Pal requested the High Court to pass an order restraining the government from further dealing with the land and maintain status quo there. But Justice Saumitra Pal did not respond. continued on page 2 Tata seeks workable solution for Singur Today,Supriya Rangarajan,District Magistrate of Hooghly in its report on the prevailing situation at Singur site,admitted pilferage of bamboos and tin sheds from the site. According to it,a complaint was registered with the Singur police station on June 22,following which a large force was deployed for security and safety of the site. The situation was peaceful now,it stated. Challenging the new act,Pal said the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act violated the basic principles of the Constitution.
