Sources said the state government would accept the formation of a committee that would explore the “possibility and the process” of giving land to the unwilling farmers of Singur.

Rezzak Mollah, Bengal minister for land and land reforms, said the government would check if it had a legally valid option of returning land. The government has pleaded that land return is not a legal option; the opposition has been insisting on a “sincere” attempt.

The government is understood to have asked officers associated with the land acquisition process to talk to the aggrieved farmers. One such officer confirmed that a section of the unwilling farmers indicated they may settle with a better compensation package.