Tatas challenge Didi law,her party hits Singur streets

A contingent of about 250 private security guards employed by Tata Motors,huddled under a shed,were given a deadline to leave the area but they were asked by the company to stand guard. Batches of state police trooped in to set up pickets.

In the same shed,stood shells of Nano cars in sparkling shades all under a thick coat of dust. These were said to be part of the first lot of cars that would have rolled out of the factory had it all been on schedule. This is the only shed where there is evidence of men and machine the others,over a dozen,are empty,concrete graveyards.

In the High Court,Justice Saumitra Pal didnt pass any interim order and directed the state government to ensure law and order in Singur and to provide proper security cover to the plant and material.

In his petition challenging the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011 by which the state government took back possession of the land leased to the company at Singur Tata Motors counsel Samaraditya Paul said the law was unconstitutional. Reason: it had a provision to apply force to evict Tata Motors from the Singur land.

He said that already a situation of lawlessness was created at the plant site and it had turned into a no mans land after the notification late last night. Paul prayed that possession of the 645 acres leased to Tata Motors be frozen and the government restrained until its challenge of the Act was decided by the court.

Paul argued that the lease agreement between Tata Motors and the state government was still valid as the agreement clearly specified that a three-month notice to the company in case of termination. He challenged the Mamata governments contention that Tata Motors had abandoned the project.

He argued that the project was almost complete but an uncongenial atmosphere of threat,intimidation and assault had forced the company to pull out. He underlined how the notice was pasted on the plant gate late at night.

Tata Motors urged the court to appoint a special officer to inspect the plant site and take stock of the existing sheds,machinery and material at the site. The company has been incurring an annual cost of Rs 1 crore for protection of the plant and machinery still lying at the Singur plant site.

Anindya Mitra,state Advocate General,told the bench that the property at Singur was now under the custody of the government and adequate police forces had been deployed to maintain peace there.

At Singur,private security guards and state police watched as waves of men and women from Singur villages broke down boundary walls and entered the plant site to grab whatever they could.

Tin sheds,iron rods and fittings,bamboos,bricks from broken walls were pilfered in broad daylight. Hundreds of villagers were seen scouting the plant area and collecting whatever they could. In some places,patrolling police vans warned villagers not to take away material from the plant site.