SC verdict on Singur ‘landmark victory’: Mamata

Kolkata, Aug 31 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee termed as "landmark victory" the Supreme Courtjudgement today on land acquisition by Tata Motors at Singurfor its abandoned Nano car project. "The Supreme Court judgement on Singur is a landmarkvictory. We have waited 10 years for this judgement," she toldreporters at the state secretariat here. Banerjee, who steered political opposition against theland acquisition process of the then Left Front government inWest Bengal forcing Tatas to abandon the project in 2008, saidher government would shortly work out on a mechanism to returnland to the farmers as directed by the court. The division bench of justices Arun Mishra and V GopalaGowda of the apex court ruled that the land acquisition processin Singur was faulty and not for public purpose. The court directed that land be returned to the farmerswithin 12 weeks. "From the beginning, we had been telling that the methodof the acquisition was unethical and land was taken awayforcibly from the farmers," Banerjee said. She said she had staged a hunger strike in the city whichlasted for 26 days to protest against the acquisition process. The genesis of her party Trinamool Congress’ slogan’Maa-Maati-Manush’ (mother-land-people) was from the Singurmovement which saw many intellectuals including late MahaswetaDevi contributing their bit for the cause, she said. "Had Mahasweta Devi been alive today, she would have beenvery happy… It is victory for the farmers, victory for truthand victory for Maa-Maati-Manush. This triumph of the peopleof Singur would be written in history," she said. Tata Motors had acquired nearly 1,000 acres for theproject. Banerjee objected to this and asked the Tatas to return400 acres to farmers who were not willing to part with theirland for the project and declined to take compensation. She would hold a strategy meeting tomorrow on how toimplement the court’s order. PTI DC AKB AMR KKDIP