Nandigram to give up farmland for railway project

Nandigram, the earlier scene of bloody clashes when the state government wished to acquire farmers' land, is now ready to concede.

Not for a chemical hub, as earlier proposed by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, but for a railway project mooted by his detractor, railway minister Mamata Banerjee.

On January 30, Banerjee, the Union minister for railways, will officially give a green signal for the commencement of work for a line to link Nandigram with the existing Digha-Tamluk line.

According to ministry officials, the 17-km stretch of the proposed rail will be named Deshapran Nandigram New Line.

According to the spokesperson of South Eastern Railway, some land is already available with them and the rest would have to be acquired from farmers. But, the farmers of Nandigram have already expressed willingness.

Says Mafijul Islam, a farmer: "I will be happy to give away the land to the railways. At least, one of my boys will get a permanent job with the railways."

Sheikh Mokbul, Anup Pattanaik and some other farmers spoken to are also hopeful that the project will bring change for their families, as the railway minister has already promised a job for land deal for the project.

The Singur-Nandigram agitations showed land is a major hurdle for development projects in the state.

In 2006, the farmers of Nandigram resisted the government bid to acquire around 20,000 acres for the Salim Group's proposed chemical hub.

After a series of bloody clashes with the farmers, the state administration had to finally withdraw the proposal and relocate the project at nearby Nayachar, an island on the Hooghly. Politically, the Left Front government in the state had to pay a severe penalty.

Last month Mamata Banerjee took the initiative and announced that if farmers agreed to give land for rail projects, the railways would give a job to a member of each of families affected.

For that, the railways have made necessary changes in their rules, she assured. It appears to have been welcomed.

Image: Paramilitary soldiers patrol Nandigram in November 2007. | Photograph: Parth Sanyal/Reuters