Singur Lesson

TOI, 26 December

The next time government acquires agricultural land for industrial purpose, it will deploy top bureaucrats to explain the project to landlosers instead of relying on the district administration. That is the key learning from the Singur experience.

Speaking to TOI , industries secretary Sabyasachi Sen admitted the government had faltered by asking district and block officials from the land department to acquire consent from land-owners and farmers in Singur.

"Sending land department officers to the field was a mistake.

The focus of district land reforms officer and block land reforms officer is land acquisition and not explaining the project and its benefits. In any case, they are not equipped to meet the queries of land losers," Sen said.

While absentee land holders were quick to respond to the lucrative price offered, most Singur-based land owners, farmers and sharecroppers withheld consent till industries director M V Rao was deputed to the site two months ago.

"Rao's presence made a huge difference. Not only was he in the know on the project, having interacted with Tata Motors officials, he could provide details on job opportunities in the factory and outside. He personally met land holders, explained the project and clarified their doubts.

Soon, consents poured in," Sen said. He now feels that the current imbroglio could have been avoided had Rao been deployed earlier.

Lack of adequate information with DLRO and BLRO and absence of initiative on their part allowed misinformation to breed. "Some told villagers that the cheques being issued by the government would not be honoured.

Others said the Tata Motors project would sully the ground water, making it unfit to drink," he said, adding that Tatas would have rolled out social development projects in September but for the agitation. There had also been a realisation that paucity of time had made the situation complex.

"We have to be patient, listen to people's apprehensions, hopes, beliefs and misgivings. Convincing one to give up land takes time. Each is entitled to explanation on what the project objectives and benefits. That should happen first. Not after a project is announced," Rao said.

Sen also acknowledged that financial compensation was not enough; a livelihood compensation was also required. That is what activist Medha Patkar has been rallying on as well.

"The objective is not to displace croppers and make them unemployed but offer alternative employment," he said, adding that efforts would be made in Singur to hike land productivity outside project area through irrigation.

Sen, however, clarified that apart from special economic zones, it was not possible to device a standard compensation package as projects differed vastly. "We have to look what can be sustained from without and outside," he said.