What Now? Move to Kharagpur

So what happens now? Mamata defiant, Buddha flummoxed, Tata's looking confused. The story unfolds to yet another episode. A wrong is wrong and two wrongs don't make one right. In a few days we will see which side is the more sensible one. To take Tata's case first, they are very craftily making this a vanilla law & order issue which the state governmenr should fully resolve, before work can start there. Mamata ji, as usual does not know where to stop or how to take this forward. Buddha is the CM of a state where the political party weilds more (absolute) power and not the (puppet) government.

Today the CM and CPI(M) are caught in the quagmire for acquiring multi crop land. India is a country whose population is growing at an alarming rate. The basic necessity of food is increasing every day. We have been blessed by fertile plains for cultivating all kinds of crops and foodgrains. The land mass under cultivation has not increased dramatically in centuries. We have been able to use better technology and fertilisers to increase yield. The returns from agriculture has been diminishing with time. In this senario it is criminal to even think of acquiring multi crop land for industry. Industry can sucessfully set up in any land, not so for agriculture. No government or private player should be allowed to turn fertile land into wasteland. The implications of this in the long term would be disastrous.

So what happens to industry? There is plenty of land in our country which is not used for agriculture. Government can create infrastructure there like roads, power, transport, etc to attract industry. Industry is essential as is agriculture. Both have to go hand in hand and not one at the cost of another.

Buddha, dont be scared of Tata's. Flex your authority. You have given them free 1000 acres of land. Power at Rs.3/- /kw, tax holidays. They better stay in Bengal. If they are ready to move to another state, then we can surely make them to move to Kharagpur, where you can provide the required land and logistically is better if not simillar to singed..Singur.

What to do with Mamata? She alone knows whose advise she is listening to now. Some say it's the extremist left. Forget the 400 acres. The land is not cultivable any more. Instead work out a better compensation package for all the land loosers. More money, assured jobs, housing, healthcare and education for their children. They will be better off in present circumstances. Later on, get a bill passed in Parliament, which forbids acquisation of fertile agricultural land. You will do a lot good to everyone.