Thaindian News

Kolkata, June 24 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday announced that there will be no more land acquisition in Rajarhat area of North 24 Parganas district that was begun by the previous Left Front government.

“A total of 7,085 acres of land were acquired in Rajarhat of which 250 acres were only bought from willing farmers by the previous government and rest was forcefully acquired. Till now government has 1,807 acres of land with it. We will keep that land with us later on we will decide on it,” said Banerjee while addressing media persons in Kolkata.

“A notification for acquisition of 1,013 acres was also given by the previous government. And along with that process of acquisition was on in another acre of 574 acres as the notice was already given. We have decided that we will not acquire this total land area of 1,687. We will withdraw the notification given by the previous government,” said Banerjee.

Earlier during Left Front’s regime, the then opposition party Trinamool Congress had alleged that there was forcible land acquisition at Rajarhat in the city’s outskirts and had declared that they would do justice and investigate the whole case if voted to power.

“We know that many farmers were anxious about this thing of land acquisition. But I want to assure them that they should not worry about it,” said Banerjee.

Banerjee also announced that the new government has decided to scrap the minister’s quota, the rule made during the Left Front regime.