Lessons from Singur.
The Singur imbroglio is seen coming out of the web, and everyone is taking a sign of relief but the finer lines of the issue are still to be solved. Until then seeing it as a final solution can be a sign of hurry. That is why Tata Motors wanted the work to be remained suspended. Now a committee will decide on, how much land and in what proportion has to be given back to farmers, who denied taking compensation? Will fresh disturbance would crop up in the smooth functioning of the plant out of this Do the vendors get the space they wanted? Will Tata’s agree? And what fresh controversy can arise due to the newly applied prospects?
It will take a week or two to get the answers but as of now the line on which the settlement is based is providing land Vs land and better compensation, to which Trinamool chief Mamta Banerjee points out as her win. But if the matter get solved then it will also a win for the state government because it will help them to negotiate on other such blocked projects. Construction company DLF’s 4840 acres project is stuck in a similar row in West Bengal. Apart from this Indonesia’s Salim group infrastructural project is also dangling for its fate. Now such bottlenecks can be worked out by seeking Singur as an example and also the lessons learned can be applied to other parts of the country.
As of now certain lessons are clear. First the work shouldn’t start until the land dispute gets settled. It is s better to seek answer to political, social and economic issues beforehand in order to avoid confrontations at the later stages. Industrialist should allow starting their projects only after having completing the agreement from the parties concerned, done with procedures relating to transferring of land, and crafting the plan for rehabilitation.
The second lesson is that if there is desire and courage then the fight between agriculture and industry could be solved, a fight that has slowed the growth of the country. No political party is against growth, they can’t because economic prosperity wins vote. A controversy arises due to the process of procuring land and deciding the appropriate compensation. If there are negotiators like governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and there is a surge for solving the issue under pressure from the industry itself, then such a dialogue process could be run which will ensure an agreement. At last Buddhadeb bhattacharya and Mamta Banerjee had to face a one to one meeting. It can be repeated into other matters too.
The third lesson is that the political parties should think twice before entering into a land row, because they can become a rift into the eyes of the people. Mamta Banerjee soon had this realization. In total these are some formulas which can provide a better direction to India’s debate on growth. After all everyone wants that if people were made to leave their land then that should be done on strong humanitarian ground.
It will take a week or two to get the answers but as of now the line on which the settlement is based is providing land Vs land and better compensation, to which Trinamool chief Mamta Banerjee points out as her win. But if the matter get solved then it will also a win for the state government because it will help them to negotiate on other such blocked projects. Construction company DLF’s 4840 acres project is stuck in a similar row in West Bengal. Apart from this Indonesia’s Salim group infrastructural project is also dangling for its fate. Now such bottlenecks can be worked out by seeking Singur as an example and also the lessons learned can be applied to other parts of the country.
As of now certain lessons are clear. First the work shouldn’t start until the land dispute gets settled. It is s better to seek answer to political, social and economic issues beforehand in order to avoid confrontations at the later stages. Industrialist should allow starting their projects only after having completing the agreement from the parties concerned, done with procedures relating to transferring of land, and crafting the plan for rehabilitation.
The second lesson is that if there is desire and courage then the fight between agriculture and industry could be solved, a fight that has slowed the growth of the country. No political party is against growth, they can’t because economic prosperity wins vote. A controversy arises due to the process of procuring land and deciding the appropriate compensation. If there are negotiators like governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and there is a surge for solving the issue under pressure from the industry itself, then such a dialogue process could be run which will ensure an agreement. At last Buddhadeb bhattacharya and Mamta Banerjee had to face a one to one meeting. It can be repeated into other matters too.
The third lesson is that the political parties should think twice before entering into a land row, because they can become a rift into the eyes of the people. Mamta Banerjee soon had this realization. In total these are some formulas which can provide a better direction to India’s debate on growth. After all everyone wants that if people were made to leave their land then that should be done on strong humanitarian ground.
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