Jindal

Calcutta, Sept. 16: Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has expressed “doubts” about the Jindal group’s decision to provide jobs and shares to land-losers.

“It’s a good proposal. But I have doubts,’’ Bhattacharjee said today after a meeting with Sajjan Jindal.

“He had concerns about its effect on other industries and how they would feel about it,’’ Jindal said. Sources said the industrialist had requested the government to improve road connectivity from Kharagpur to Salboni.

Jindal suggested that the chief ministers’ misgivings stemmed from the likely reaction of other investors who may not find it viable to make a similar offer.

“I had discussed the proposal (on jobs and shares) with the chief minister before making it public. He said it was a good concept but he had concerns about its effect on other industries and how they would feel about it,’’ Jindal said.

The group has proposed jobs for one member of each family losing land in Salboni, the site for a steel plant.

Bhattacharjee had last week said the government did not favour a uniform policy of jobs and shares to land-losers.

The government and CPM had earlier refused to support the demand for jobs in the Tata project in Singur, a technology-intensive venture that will not require too many unskilled hands.

CPM state leaders said the Jindals would have to give jobs only to 740 land-loser families as the government would provide 4,000 of the 4,500 acres needed.

“Singur cannot be compared with this. At least 12,000 land-losers — an impossible number — would have to be found jobs there had we demanded so,” CPM veteran Benoy Konar said.

But Jindal defended the policy. “I think farmers are selling their ancestral properties and its an emotive issue for them. If we give them shares, they would consider the project as their own and support us for development.”

Bhattacharjee said the government land would be handed over by the end of this month.

“We have discussed some problems and we are on the job to get it done as early as possible,’’ chief minister said on the need for the Centre’s nod for coal supply to the project’s captive power plant as well as development of roads and other infrastructure.

Sources said the Jindals had asked the government to improve road connectivity from Kharagpur to Salboni.

Environment clearance would be obtained from the Centre before the Pujas, Biswadeep Gupta, Jindal Steel’s Bengal chief, said.

Gupta said the company would “stand by the job assurance” but added the shares could not be traded till March 2011 when the first phase of the project would be complete.