By IANS,
Kolkata : Disagreeing with the West Bengal government’s view that it has no role to play in land acquisition for industrial projects, industry body Assocham Sunday said if the governemnt stays away, future investment would be impacted.
“The government has an important role to play in facilitating land acquisition. It cannot shy away. If the government says it cannot get involved at all, then future investment will be affected,” said Assocham chairman (east) Sunil Kanoria.
Soon after coming to power in May, the Trinamool Congress regime led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee formed a two-member expert committee that recommended that the government will have no role to play in land acquisition for private industry and investors will have to acquire land directly from owners.
Contending that the anti-land acquisition agitation against automakers Tata Motors’ small car Nano had sent a wrong message to the world, Assocham secretary-general D.S. Rawat said the right sort of atmosphere has to be created for investment to pour in.
Banerjee had a led a sustained farmers’ protest against the then Left Front government’s land acquisition for the Nano project in Hooghly district’s Singur which ultimately forced the automobile giant to shift the factory to Gujarat.
Rawat said the issue will be deliberated upon and a blueprint for the state’s all round development released in an investors’ summit “Land of Opportunities” to be held here Oct 15.