Singur deadlock: talks to resume shortly

FINALLY?: Trinamool and the WB govt are likely to resolve the Singur issue in the next 48 hrs.

    

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Singur: Talks between the West Bengal government and the opposition to resolve the Singur issue will resume in Kolkata shortly.

According to sources, the Trinamool Congress is likely to press for the issue of 2,200 unwilling farmers to be resolved first, while the state government wants greater benefits for all 13,000 farmers who lost their land.

Earlier on Friday, First signs of a thaw over Singur were seen, and Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi was the man behind it. A small but significant breakthrough came even in the first round of talks he held with the Trinamool Congress-led Krishi Jamin Raksha Committee and the Bengal government.

There are speculations that government has agreed to part with 44 acres of land set aside for the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation inside the Tata Motors compound. It has also agreed to an enhanced compensation package for farmers who lost their land.

It seems Trinamool too has climbed down; it now wants restoration of 250 acres of land instead of 400.

But the talks were not without teething problems.They started on Friday six hours late. The state government refused to attend unless Mamata Banerjee promised to lift the blockade on National Highway 2. In the end Mamata relented, one side of the highway was cleared for traffic.

But beneath the brave facade, lies a desperation on both sides to end the deadlock in the next couple of days without losing face.

However, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury has said that Mamta's stand on Singur reflects that she is against industrial development in West Bengal.

“First Mamta Banerjee was against the nanao factory in Singur. Now she is ready for an alternate land settlement. She is slowly giving in, but the people need to understand that she does not support development in West Bengal,” he said.

The Governor managed to keep the talks alive is itself an achievement. Trinamool Cong and the WB govt are likely to resolve the Singur issue in the next 48 hrs.