The last word on Singur may be said on Friday when Ratan Tata meets West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to decide whether or not he will pull out the Nano factory from Singur.
The meeting comes at the end of more than a month of agitation led by the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who wants 300 acres carved out from the land leased to the Tatas and returned to farmers who did not willingly give their land.
On May 18, 2006, Buddhadeb was sworn-in as Chief Minister and Ratan Tata came to meet him to announce plans to set up the Nano factory at Singur. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since.
Between May and December 2006, locals heckled Tata officials to protest land acquisition. Police had to teargas them, following which, Mamata went on a hunger strike for 26 days.
Then, from August 24, 2008, Mamata began her gherao of the Tata factory. Four days on, her supporters threatened Tata employees and on September 2, Tata Motors declared the suspension of work at Singur.
On September 7, West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi oversaw an agreement between the Trinamool and the government but could not get them to agree on what the term maximum in the pact meant. Mamata claimed 300 acres while the government offered 70.
Hopes for a resolution rose on September 12 when Buddhadeb offered a revised economic package for Singur's farmers. Mamata rejected the package out of hand.
Since then, there has been no work at the factory though the deadline to produce the Nano in the October to December quarter is looming large enough for Ratan Tata to meet Buddhadeb personally on Singur and take the final call.
source:ndtv.com
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