Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee?s government is ready to construct buildings for the squatters along the rail tracks between Ballygunge and Tollygunge, if the Eastern Railway provides the land.

Advocate-general Balai Ray made the announcement in high court on Friday during the hearing of a petition relating to the eviction of the Rabindra Sarobar squatters.

Ray said: ?I had a discussion with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee this morning. He categorically said that his government was not in a position to provide land for the squatters. But if the railway allots a plot, the state will bear the responsibility of constructing buildings for them.?

When the court asked the railway counsel if his client was ready to provide the land, advocate R.N. Das said he had no specific instructions.

The state announcement and the railway response failed to satisfy the division bench of Chief Justice V.S. Sirpurkar and Justice A.K. Ganguly.

?There is deliberate apathy by both the state government and the railways in carrying out the Supreme Court order. We are expressing deep concern in this regard,? the division bench said in its order.

?Both of you (the government and the railways) have to understand that the Supreme Court eviction order is a fait accompli. The squatters will have to go,? the bench added.

The court then passed an order asking the respondents to form a committee, including representatives from the railways, the government, Calcutta Municipal Corporation, Calcutta Improvement Trust and the squatters. ?The committee will scout for land, arrange funds and draw up a rehabilitation scheme. It will also work out the modalities for executing the Supreme Court eviction order,? the bench said.

Chief secretary Ashok Gupta will convene a meeting of the committee and advocate-general Ray will provide ?his mature advice? to the panel. The judges also asked the committee to take the advice of Subhas Dutta, environment activist and case petitioner.

Advocate Sukhendu Sekhar Roy told the court that the squatters were ready to bear a part of the expense if both the state and the Centre came forward to provide them with alternative shelters.

The bench lauded the move. ?Even the squatters admit that the eviction order will have to be carried out,? it said.

July 1 was set for the next hearing and the advocate-general asked to furnish a report of the committee on that date.