SC asks Tata, WB govt to file reply on Singur land acquisition

SC asks Tata, WB govt to file reply on Singur land acquisition The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought reply from Tata Motors, the West Bengal government and others as to why 'fertile multi-crop agricultural land' was acquired for the company's small-car project at Singur. A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan while issuing notice to the company, the state government and the West Bengal State Industrial Development Corporation (WBSIDC) posted the matter for further hearing in July. The petition filed by Kedar Nath Yadav, a practicing lawyer, while seeking immediate halt of the Nano car project had challenged the Calcutta High Court's decision that upheld as legal the acquisition of land by the West Bengal government for the Nano project. The acquisition of fertile multi-crop agricultural land by the government in various parts of the state for Tata Motors' upcoming project, for Indonesia's Salim Group in Haldia and the Reliance group, was violative of farmers' rights guaranteed by the Constitution, Yadav's petition filed through Sarla Chandra stated. It also goes against the provisions of Land Acquisition Act, 1894, the petition said. Tata Motors, which proposes to roll out the world's cheapest car Nano from the Singur facility, submitted before the court that it had spent more than Rs 700 crore on the small-car project. However, the manufacturer of the world's cheapest car Nano had earlier requested the apex court not to pass any orders on the petition without hearing it. Such action on the part of the state government to acquire 997.11 acres of land at Singur in the name of public purpose without any specific master plan and depriving farmers of their livelihood without giving proper compensation was malafide, arbitrary and illegal, Yadav and other petitioners said. Tata Motors in its affidavit stated that it had invested more than Rs 1,000 crore in its small car project and any delay in the project would increase the cost of product which was expected to be priced at Rs one lakh. The petitioner while seeking a direction to the government against evicting or dispossessing farmers from their lands had alleged that the government was torturing these farmers by deploying 26,000 police force to demolish their houses and occupy land which was the source of livelihood to thousands of people. Yadav further alleged that the state government had invested large amounts of public funds in favour of one private company. The High Court, on 18th January, held as legal the acquisition of land for the Tata Motors' unit.

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