Dhoot

Calcutta, June 30: The Videocon Group wants to buy land directly from farmers for four special economic zones coming up in Bengal.

Chairman Venugopal Dhoot today said his group plans to start negotiations with landowners after a “few months”.

“The situation is not conducive in Bengal now for such work. We will start after things settle down,” Dhoot said on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce, alluding to protests against land acquisition.

Videocon’s plans include two multi-product SEZs over more than 2,500 acres in North 24-Parganas and West Midnapore.

Dhoot said he would seek government support to acquire the plots but made it clear his group would buy the land directly from the owners.

So far, the Bengal government and the Left Front have favoured land acquisition by a state agency and then leasing it out to industry, as followed in Singur for the Tata Motors plant.

State commerce and industry secretary Sabyasachi Sen, however, said the government would object only if it is shut out of the land acquisition process.

“We object to the proposal that the state government cannot have any role to play in land acquisition for industry. But it does not mean that we will oppose if some industry buys land directly with the government’s consent,” he said.

Dhoot said he would offer jobs to people who give up land even before work starts on the projects.

“We have followed this model in Aurangabad where 100 jobs have been given. I think we may be able to offer 800 jobs in similar fashion in Bengal.”

Asked where these people, who are not likely to have any skills as industrial workers, would be employed, Dhoot said they would be trained to be accommodated in Videocon’s existing factory in Bengal.