Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Mamata warns of more protests
Mamata Banerjee made it amply clear that the fight would continue and Singur would rock the streets of Delhi on December 20. We now certainly can't assume we can believe the Press reports on Banarjee, let us see how it turns out in Delhi.
According to CPI(M) leaders, Tuesday’s “meeting” will try to resolve the core dispute between the government and the Trinamool leader. While Banerjee claims that the government has taken over land by force, the latter insists owners of 965 acres, out of the total of 997 acres, gave up their land willingly. (I suppose 'willingly by force').
Hindustan Times says: The average market price of agricultural land in Singur is Rs 1.5-Rs 2 lakh an acre. The government is paying Rs 4-11 lakh per acre to farmers, depending on whether it is single- or double-crop land. And it is really much more than a land deal. With the Tata Motors project up and running, some 2,000 of the 11,500 people of Singur will be directly employed in the plant. Ancillary units will provide further jobs, not to mention the opportunities that come in a place where benefits from an agrarian economy have long been stagnant.
IMO: Probably an element of correctness in all these views, but may still not be enough jobs. The situation is clearly unwelcome but AFAIK Tata usually makes pretty beneficial offers if pushed, the most important aspect being the possibility of some work for the farmers. My late father in law seems to have been treated reasonably by Tata, and most people who work for the firm in Pune (and I'm not just speaking of Oundh colony people - he lived in Pimpri) seem to think the same. So if we must have more industrialisation in North India, that is at least one way, if not totally acceptable. But I look at global warming and pollution. China is said to be 'succeeding' - and it is certainly 'succeeding in increasing global pollution' but athletes for the 2008 Olympic games are already literally going 'cough cough' and it will likely be appalling. A bit later, we will all die, except for a few oligarchs as it is going now.
According to CPI(M) leaders, Tuesday’s “meeting” will try to resolve the core dispute between the government and the Trinamool leader. While Banerjee claims that the government has taken over land by force, the latter insists owners of 965 acres, out of the total of 997 acres, gave up their land willingly. (I suppose 'willingly by force').
Hindustan Times says: The average market price of agricultural land in Singur is Rs 1.5-Rs 2 lakh an acre. The government is paying Rs 4-11 lakh per acre to farmers, depending on whether it is single- or double-crop land. And it is really much more than a land deal. With the Tata Motors project up and running, some 2,000 of the 11,500 people of Singur will be directly employed in the plant. Ancillary units will provide further jobs, not to mention the opportunities that come in a place where benefits from an agrarian economy have long been stagnant.
IMO: Probably an element of correctness in all these views, but may still not be enough jobs. The situation is clearly unwelcome but AFAIK Tata usually makes pretty beneficial offers if pushed, the most important aspect being the possibility of some work for the farmers. My late father in law seems to have been treated reasonably by Tata, and most people who work for the firm in Pune (and I'm not just speaking of Oundh colony people - he lived in Pimpri) seem to think the same. So if we must have more industrialisation in North India, that is at least one way, if not totally acceptable. But I look at global warming and pollution. China is said to be 'succeeding' - and it is certainly 'succeeding in increasing global pollution' but athletes for the 2008 Olympic games are already literally going 'cough cough' and it will likely be appalling. A bit later, we will all die, except for a few oligarchs as it is going now.
# posted by uv : 5:30 AM
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