The Nandigram and Singur episodes have made the business houses of which are keen to set up industrial plants in West Bengal extra cautious, as they do not want to face the wrath of the people over the land acquisition process. The firms are now resorting to new techniques to get people’s trust and support for the project.In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state, Bharati Shipyard Ltd (BSL) and Apeejay Shipping Ltd, that are jointly developing a shipyard at Haldia, have started distributing pamphlets in English, Bengali and Hindi among the locals there. These pamphlets contain information about the Rs 2,000-crore shipyard project and the offers that will be made to the landowners for acquiring 500 acres of land. “We have started distributing pamphlets that clearly state our intention. We have decided to put everything in black and white so that there is no misconception later,” said the vice-president of BSL, Subir Chakraborty. The awareness campaign has been launched much ahead of the actual work. The proposal is currently being studied by an expert committee, which would have to submit its report before the process of acquiring land begins.
