The Bengal CM took stock of district level programmes in the presence of the state’s top functionaries. Banerjee did some plain speaking at the meet virtually rejecting the Modi government’s land bill, and said that the state was already following an “alternative” land acquisition policy and asserted she will not accept even “one per cent forcible land acquisition”.
“We have framed an alternative land policy where direct purchase can be done through negotiations without any forcible acquisition,” the Chief Minister said in Burdwan on Wednesday.
“We cannot wait when all (parties) will agree, when this bill will be passed. Everybody should form land bank. We have formed land bank, land use policy and land map. We have taken land from this bank to set up industrial parks,” she said.
The Chief Minister said her government had been able to complete various projects through direct land purchase after holding negotiations with the owners.
Citing instances where the state had been able to make available land for big projects, Banerjee said the Andal greenfield airport and NTPC’s Katwa project were among them.Referring to Singur, which had witnessed violent protests by her party against land acquisition for Tata’s Nano project, which ultimately had to be shifted to Gujarat, she said, “There was a procedural mistake. But for others there had been no such issue.”
In an apparent reference to Opposition parties’ charge of lawlessness in the state, Banerjee said that peace was restored in Darjeeling hills and Jangalmahal (Naxal-hit areas). “Everyone is living in peace throughout Bengal,” she claimed.
Listing out another new initiative at the meeting, attended by ministers, bureaucrats, SDOs, BDOs among others, Banerjee said the state government was contemplating creating a “business corridor” as West Bengal was the gateway to the east.
“In line with the ‘Look East Policy’ of the Centre, we are intending to create a business corridor as the state is the gateway for Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan,” she said.
This corridor would help boost trade, travel and tourism ties with these countries and the estimated cost will be around Rs 2,000 crore. “We will tell the Centre about this plan,” she said. The money would be spent in developing infrastructure at border points like widening of roads, creating approach roads and rail overbridges, she said.
She also said the state would also help setting up bank branches with the intention to wipe out the lure of the ponzi firms which were duping the people. She said the model of holding continuous meetings at districts had proved to be very successful.
“Working at the grassroots level has proved to be very effective. We do not want to impose decisions from the top,” she said, adding that such meetings were held few and far between during the previous government.