[Reader-list] Breakthrough in Singur

[Tapas Ray]

Shuddha and others,

Although this was definitely a victory for the people who had lost their 
land, I was wondering - as you (Shuddha) clearly were as well - whether 
the last word had been written. As they say, if it looks too good to be 
true, it probably is. That is what seems to be happening here.

The state government shows a different face from the one Singur had seen 
until now, but as soon as the Tatas express their "distress" (according 
to the Telegraph), it "scurries to clear the air" with a clarification, 
which Mamata Banerjee quickly rejects as being contrary to the agreement.

I do not know who is lying, but will watch to see where this goes.

Incidentally, I have firsthand knowledge of an automobile plant in the 
USA, which makes SUVs. It occupies all of 300 acres, give or take, 
whereas just the *disputed land* in Singur at present measures 400 
acres. And this is a scaled-back demand, which was for 1,000 acres 
initially.

If one wonders why Nano needs so much land, I think the answer lies in 
two areas. One, for the Tatas' stated objective of cutting manufacturing 
costs to the minimum. And two - this is my guess, as I do not know any 
details of the project - they probably want to set up a self-sufficient 
township like Tatanagar (Jamshedpur), maybe smaller because of the 
proximity to Calcutta.

By making sure that ancillaries are adjacent to the car plant, they cut 
transport costs and time to practically zero. In other words, the 
farmers of Singur are subsiding the dream car of India's middle class.

If my guess about the township is correct, that will have some 
interesting consequences, too. I will share my thoughts on that here if 
I can ascertain the details.

Tapas


Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote:

<snip>

> At the close of last night, the Governor of West Bengal, Gopal  
> Krishna Gandhi announced that a solution acceptable to all (the  
> protesting farmers at Singur and the Government of West Bengal) has  
> been found, and that Ms. Mamata Bannerjee of the Trinamool Congress  
> (one of the key protagonists of the Singur protest) would announce  
> that the agitation at Singur would be suspended. 

<snip>

> Though it may be premature to call this 'breakthrough' a victory for  
> peasants and working people, it is certainly reason to believe that  
> not every struggle conducted by ordinary people over land, resources  
> and livelihood is doomed to failure. This news should raise the hopes  
> of all those committed to protest against unjust land alicquisition  
> and transfer moves - be they in Orissa, Haryana, Kerala, Kashmir or  
> elsewhere.
> 
> I enclose below a PTI report in the Hindu that gives more details of  
> the agreement.
> 
> regards,
> 
> Shuddha
>