Thaindian News

Kolkata, March 23 (IANS) While affirming that industry will come up in Singur, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Wednesday said careful measures have to be taken while acquiring land.

Industrialisation is the only way for the state’s development, he stressed

“We will acquire land only after reaching a consensus with all the interested parties,” Bhattacharjee told reporters at a press meeting here.

“We have made up a land use map. We will not acquire fertile land. If the government has to acquire land we will go forward after reaching a total consensus in that area. We have already started a land bank in a small way,” the chief minister said.

Bhattacharjee’s pro-industrialisation plank, which brought him rich dividends during the 2006 assembly election, faced a severe drubbing after the Nandigram and Singur anti-land acquisition protests led by the Trinamool Congress.

“We went to Singur for development, but something went wrong. We have learnt from Singur. But I would like to add that even after Singur in 2010 also we attracted investments of Rs.15,000 crore.

“During 2008-2010 we were able to acquire 8,100 acres of land without any problem,” the chief minister said.

Asked whether any industry will come up in the land abandoned by Tatas in Singur in Hoogly district, Bhattacharjee said: “Obviously we will have industry there.”

But the chief minister refused to comment on whether the Tatas will set up any other factory in Singur.

He said that an automobile industry could have changed the face of the state.

Trinamool Congress mocked Bhattacharjee’s statement as a sign of defeat before elections.

“He (Bhattacharjee) has already accepted defeat in the coming assembly elections. He is now saying the same things our leader Mamata Banerjee had said earlier,” Trinamool Congress leader Partho Chatterjee said at a press conference here.

The six-phased elections to the West Bengal assembly will be held between April 18 and May 10.