Calcutta, Sept. 10: Indecision over how to dismantle the Tata Motors structures spread over 90 acres in Singur could come in the way of returning land to each and every owner within 12 weeks as ordered by the Supreme Court, Nabanna officials said.
They said there was confusion over who would demolish the factory shades and administrative offices at the abandoned Nano project site, and how the state should go about the job within the stipulated timeframe.
The land and land reforms department, the nodal agency given the responsibility to carry out the apex court directive, has decided it will not demolish the plant and the administrative offices.
"The issue will be raised at a meeting of the high-powered committee on Monday. It's the WBIDC (West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation) that should take a decision on the built-up area, as it had an agreement with the Tatas," an official said. The land lease agreement for the project was between Tata Motors and the WBIDC.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee set up the committee to oversee the return of land to the farmers in Singur after the Supreme Court termed the acquisition process faulty on August 31.
The committee is headed by the chief secretary. Its members include the secretaries of the industries, PWD and land departments and the WBIDC managing director.
Another official said that unless the land department is given land free of structures, it cannot demarcate the plots for return to individual owners based on latitude and longitude. But freeing the built-up area of all structures can take up a lot of time.
The officials said there would not be a problem with demarcating plots across the 50 acres in the main project area where roads have been laid. The PWD may be asked to dig up the roads and overlay the area with soil.
But the government can find it difficult to remove the structures spread across another 90 acres.
The Nabanna officials said that with the land department refusing to dismantle the structures, the WBIDC would be asked to take a decision on the issue at Monday's meeting.
"Ideally, the WBIDC should ask the Tatas to pull down the structures, citing the Supreme Court order. If such a line of action is adopted, it could be a time-consuming affair as the government will have to wait for the company to do the job," an official.
If the Tatas refuse to dismantle the structures, the government cannot demolish the structures overnight, he added.
"It is not an easy job because only experts can dismantle the factory shades, which are made of strong steel. It could take more than two months to do this," the official said.
If it takes that long, it will be nearly impossible for the land department to demarcate the plots in the built-up area within the 12-week deadline, which expires in late November.
After the structures are pulled down, the floors will have to be dug up and filled with earth. Demarcation too will take time as the 90-acre area has more than 1,500 plots.
"It will take seven to 10 days to demarcate 1,500 plots. There is a possibility that those who have plots in this area will not get their land back within the 12-week deadline," a source said.
The government is not expecting legal problems over the deadline for the return of land.
"We don't think anyone will move a contempt of court petition. The farmers in Singur know that we are working hard to give back their land. There could be a delay of two to three weeks to complete the process. The majority of the owners will get back their land within the timeframe," a minister said.
Urban development minister Firhad Hakim, who visited Singur today, said the local panchayats would campaign in the villages to ensure that all the farmers who did not accept their compensation cheques applied for the money at the earliest.
"The government is ready to pay the money to the farmers as soon as they apply," he said.
According to officials, 2,639 farmers had refused compensation, alleging forcible land acquisition. Yesterday, 255 such farmers applied for compensation. The cheques of 155 farmers are ready for disbursal.
