Tata Motors won in Singur land case. West Bengal government fell into big trouble. After 15 years of departure of Tata Nano factory, a large amount of money will be paid as compensation .According to news agency sources, In a major victory of Tata company , an arbitral tribunal has awarded Tata Motors Rs 766 crore for the losses because of Trinamool Congress’s protests that stalled its small Nano car project at Singur in West Bengal.
Tribunal ordered the state government of West Bengal to pay huge amount of compensation to the Tata group on Monday (October 30).
That compensation will be paid with interest at the rate of 11 percent from September 1, 2016. The amount of compensation is 765 crore 78 lakh INR. After that, if 11 percent interest is added, it is known that the compensation will be thousands of crores. In brief ,WBIDC will have to pay compensation along with interest. This verdict caused a stir in the state politics.
BACKGROUND
Let’s go back to the begining of the singur plant case .
•In 2006 ,the chairman of Tata group Ratan Tata announced about the Tata Nano project ‘dream car.’ The Nano, priced at Rs 1 lakh, would be the world’s cheapest car.
•The former Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya announced the construction of the Tata factory. Tata Motors acquired land for manufacturing of Nano cars at Singur. The then opposition leader of the All India Trinomul congress ( TMC),
Mamata Banerjee stood by the unwilling farmers and created a massive movement. Some days later, farmers took to the streets in protest. Mamata Banerjee was barred from visiting Singur to protest land acquisition. TMC members started a baleful movement. Social activist Medha Patkar fought against the acquisition of land .
•Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee announced that she would go on an indefinite hunger strike from December and she had been on hunger strike for several weeks.
•By mid of 2007, the company and the government of West Bengal had already signed an agreement to lease the land .
Tata has closed down the Nano car manufacturing plant from Singur and planned to move to sananda, Gujarat.
•Tata Motors have invested around Rs 1,800 crore .The manufacturing unit was expected to create employment for 10,000 people.
•In 2008, Tata Motors had to shift its manufacturing plant from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand in October due to a land dispute. After that, Tata Motors had invested over Rs 1,000 crore in Singur. Tata Motors had to shift its plant from here to Gujarat due to a land dispute. .Tata has closed down the Nano car manufacturing plant from Singur and moved to Gujarat.
• In 2011, there was a change in the the state. It was Singur’s movement that smoothed Mamata Banerjee’s way for becoming West Bengal’s Chief Minister.
• In 2016 , the Supreme Court ruled in the Singur acquisition case . According to the court, the state government’s land acquisition in Singur was illegal.
•Then Tata group returned all the acquired land. the state got a big shock with the verdict of the three-member arbitral tribunal.
•According to the decision, Tata motors company is legal claimant of Rs 765.78 crore from the respondent West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Limited (WBIDC) along with 11 per cent annual interest. The state government of West Bengal consulted lawyers to approach the high court against the tribunal’s order on Tuesday. West Bengal Minister of State charge of Finance Department, Chandrima Bhattacharya, said that the Bengal government will challenge the order of tribunal.
CPIM MP and lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya expressed his anger on this matter. Targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, He said, “Mamata’s misdeeds to come to power are now slowly coming out.” Where will this money come from? West Bengal went bankrupt. If they take all their money now through legal process then West Bengal will be bankrupt”.
