New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) The land ownership issue at Singur is complicated, according to Amit Mitra, general secretary of industry lobby Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.“The matter is much more complicated than it appears. The question is not that the government does not want to give compensation. The question is whom to give the compensation to,” Mitra told IANS on the sidelines of a function here.

“There are people who are the owners of the land, then there are the sharecroppers, and there are also labourers who work on the farmland owned by someone else,” Mitra said.

“So you see, it is a three-tier of confusion. In fact, many people do not even have ownership paper of the land,” he added.

Mitra also suggested that there should be a system of online land bank database so that there is no confusion on the issue of land ownership.

“It is really unfortunate that the whole thing has taken a political turn and the Tatas have to undergo so much trouble,” Mitra added.

“I am still hopeful that the political parties will come out with some solution and may find a way out. However, even if Tata Motors pulls out of Singur, this much-waited project of Nano will be on the road.”

“And wherever the government starts acquiring land, controversy creeps in. In West Bengal itself, where private players acquired land on their own, there is no controversy,” Mitra said.