State and company officials today ran into local protests at Singur as villagers, fearing loss of land and compensation, opposed plans for the plant.

But hours later, State Commerce and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said: “Land acquisition in any part is bound to have repercussions. At Singur, there was initial confusion over the compensation package. It was a minor protest, the state government will sort out things.”

Brushing aside suggestions that the protests would send out “wrong signals” to investors—agricultural land has to be acquired for a slew of projects—Sen said a public meeting was being organized in the area and local MLAs and MPs would explain the state government’s new policy on land acquisition and rehabilitation to the people there.

The revised policy addresses some key concerns and offers many incentives. Even Abdur Razzak Mollah, the one man in the Bhattacharjee cabinet who has been most vocal in opposing conversion of agricultural land for industrial use, conceded: “The party and the government have agreed to the idea of industrialization on agricultural land. With the new rehabilitation package, the process of land acquisition should now get a boost.” Key clauses in the revised land use policy include:

nPayment of 100 per cent compensation, according to prevailing market rate in the area, to those losing land.

• Payment of a solatium of 30 per cent of the land value to affected farmers.

• Payment of additional 10 per cent of the land cost (described as “agreed amount” if one does not go in for litigation).

• Land losers, if in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, will get shelters under the Indira Awas Yojna or Balmiki-Ambedkar Awas Yojna.

• Land losers, if in the category of marginal farmers, will get one job per family.

• Landless farmers will get one time compensation of Rs 10,000, if evicted.

The state government is aware it has to make the rehabilitation package attractive. Because up ahead are a slew of projects which will require agricultural land acquisition. Some of them are:

• Salim Group: 2,500 acres for knowledge city, health city and industrial township.

• Tata Group: 1,000 acres in Singur for auto plant, another 1,000 acres in Kharagpur for Tata Metaliks.

• Infosys: 1000 acres.

• Haldia chemical hub: 25,000 acres

• Airport to Raichawk Expressway: 500 acres.

• Kulpi Mini Port: 3,000 acres

• Uluberia two-wheeler factory: 400 acres