Singur: Why Mamata’s Got it Wrong

The map of the Tata Motors site in Singur demonstrates just why the demand for return of 400 acres is unreasonable.

The map of the Tata Motors site in Singur demonstrates just why the demand for return of 400 acres is unreasonable. The plots belonging to farmers who have not accepted compensation (in red) do not make up a single chunk of land; and attempting to return them will mean the end of the Nano project itself

HOSTILE TAKEOVER: A TIMELINE

•Total Land Acquired:997.11 acres

• Land acquisition notification issued in the first week of September 2006

• Acquisition formally starts on September 26, 2006

• Total farmers identified in September 2006: 8,890

• Total number of people eligible for compensation for land: 13,103

• Total number of people who have so far taken their compensation cheques: 10,852

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• Total number of people who have not received their cheques: 2,251 (including those in title disputes)

• Total area of land for which compensation paid: 691.64 acres

• Total area of land for which compensation not paid: 305.47 acres

• Around 60 vendors coming to Singur Vendor Park

• Land leased to Tata Motors for main plant: 645 acres. This includes space for utilities, interconnecting roads within and approaches to vendor facilities in the adjacent Vendor Park.

• Land earmarked for vendors adjacent to main plant: 290 acres. WBIDC to lease out this land directly to the vendors.

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In July 2006, Bengal began identifying land for the Tata Motors project; notified 1,050 acres for acquisition. Two years later, controversy dogs the takeover