Sources in the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), which is steering the Tata Motors’ deal, said the department was now working on the details of the lease agreement. This will take time since the WBIDC has only recently got permission to work on the ground at Singur, the added.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool has said that the government cannot favour just one business house. Chatterjee said the government has allotted Rs 106 crore as compensation to the land owners in Singur so far. “The Chief Minister cannot use government funds according to his will,” said Chatterjee. “After getting the agreement paper, we will launch a protest movement against the State Government,” he added.

The lack of transparency in the Singur deal is posing a problem for Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, with even Left partners like the RSP and CPI crying foul over being left out of the inner workings. The State’s Public Works Minister, Kshiti Goswami, said the government has created an unnecessary air of suspicion by keeping the details of the deal to itself.