Date:17/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/17/stories/2007041703021200.htm

National

No role for State in land acquisition

Staff Reporter

West Bengal Congress to organise rally on SEZ on April 21

Kolkata : The State leadership of the Congress has expressed concern at the West Bengal Government's "aggressive attitude" in setting up industries and Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and demanded that the policy directive laid down by the Centre in this regard be followed.

"The empowered Group of Ministers, led by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, has already decided that the State Government should not be associated [with] or play the part of middlemen to facilitate land acquisition in the name of setting up industries," said Manas Bhunia, leader of the Congress legislative party and general secretary, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.

"Withdraw"

"To avoid the kind of bloodbath that took place at Nandigram on March 14, the State Government must withdraw from the process of acquiring land," he said.

The constituent partners of the Left Front Government in West Bengal had no moral right to criticise the SEZ policy followed in the State, as these parties supported the passage of the West Bengal Special Economic Zone Act 2003.