Kolkata, September 3
Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi today spoke to Ratan Tata and requested him not to shift the Tata Motors Nano car project from Singur.
He told Tata that he was negotiating with the state government and the farmers’ representatives for solving the Singur problem within the next few days.
Accordingly, the Governor has invited Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee to a meeting at Raj Bhavan.
The meeting, to be held on Friday at 10 a.m, will be attended by former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Chittatosh Mukherjee. He will assist the Governor in legal matters regarding land acquisition and reclaim.
Mamata has welcomed the Governor’s move and expressed hope that a peaceful and honorable solution would evolve during the next 48 hours on the Singur problem.
She said the issue of returning 400 acres of land to the unwilling farmers would be resolved amicably.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee thanked the Governor for calling the peace meeting. He wanted the negotiating parties to ensure that Tata Motor’s Nano car project was not moved out of Singur and the affected farmers were also satisfied.
On the eleventh day of the dharna and agitation, one Sushen Satra (52) at Joyamolla Bheri whose one bigha of land was acquired for the motor project, committed suicide today by consuming poison.
He had received the compensation amount and his two sons were also engaged on contract as daily wage earners. On hearing that the Tata Motor’s car project would be shifted from Singur, he committed suicide.
Similar protests and demonstrations were held at Salt Lake IT sector, Durgapur and Barrackpore. At Singur, the CPI(M) and the Trinamool Congress clashed at several places. The police had to lathi- charge the fighting groups. Several people, belonging to the CPM asked Mamata to leave Singur within the next 24
hours.
