Mamata Banerjee welcomes SC order on Singur land case

Tweet

Kolkata, June 29: Welcoming the Supreme Court’s interim order on the Singur land case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the apex court did not stop land survey and the “process of distribution of land”.

“We welcome the Supreme Court order. It will go in favour of the farmers and in favour of the people,” she told reporters here.

” The apex court only said that distribution of land would be stopped till the Calcutta High Court passes its judgement on the case,” she added.

The Supreme Court today stayed the return of Singur land to the farmers by the West Bengal government.

“As an interim order, we direct state government not to hand over or return land to farmers concerned until further order passed by the Calcutta High Court,” a vacation bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam an A K Patnaik said.

The apex court also directed the parties to argue the merits of the case before the High Court.

Tata Motors had filed two special leave petitions requesting the Supreme Court to stay the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act passed by Bengal Assembly after Trinamool Congress came to power.

Earlier, Banerjee had announced an ordinance to reclaim land at Singur.

“We have passed an ordinance as it was a very urgent one. The Governor has signed it some time back. Through the ordinance we have returned 400 acres of land to the farmers. The government had taken this resolution before itself,” Banerjee had said.

The ordinance allowed the state government the 997.11 acres of land lying with the Tatas and vendors in Singur to fulfil the promise of returning plots to disgruntled farmers.

The land had been allotted to the Tatas by the erstwhile state government ruled by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Left Front for building a motor car plant in the Singur area. (ANI)