Calcutta, March 12: After two months of watching from the sidelines, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s government has finally decided to initiate police action in the disturbed villages of Nandigram.

At a meeting with chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb, home secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray, inspector-general (law and order) Raj Kanojia and DIG Midnapore range N.R. Ramesh Babu, it was decided that the time was right for police action in the area.

Officials said additional reinforcements would be sent for the police action, which could begin tomorrow.

“We’ve reviewed the situation in Nandigram. We will soon enter the villages for which we need to repair the roads first. We want to remove the arms piled up there. As of now, status quo prevails in Nandigram,” said Kanojia.

Villages in Nandigram had erupted in January following reports of proposed land acquisition for the Salim Group’s chemical hub. Despite the violence, police did not enter the villages.

Kanojia said the administration could have entered the villages earlier, but such a move could have led to an escalation in violence. “The situation was very volatile and not conducive for police action.”

Villagers opposed to land acquisition have dug up roads and removed concrete slabs from the approaches to bridges to prevent the administration and the police from entering the interior villages.

At least 10 roads have been dug up at 40 places in the Sonachura, Kalicharanpur, Kendamari, Mohammadpur and Bhekutia gram panchayat areas, about 170 km from Calcutta.

Following a violent movement against land acquisition by the Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee, several CPM supporters and workers had fled their homes and taken shelter in neighbouring villages and relief camps.