Minister for Commerce and Industries Nirupam Sen said: “We have no problem in returning the land if they want to set up the coach factory. We will hand it over to them (Railways) stating the status of the land, which had been converted to industrial land.”

“But so far as we (the state government) are concerned, we cannot return the land (to the unwilling farmers) as it will be unconstitutional to do so. If the Railways want to do it, they can proceed ahead with it,” Sen added.

Stating that government’s offer made to the Railways was “genuine”, he noted that there were many legal battles fought over the issue of returning the land, “but nobody has ever got back his land once it was acquired by any government.”

He also said that his department had verbally informed the Tata Motors about the offer from the Railways. “The Tata Motors declared that they had not objection in parting with the land if there was “meaningful investment” and were adequately compensated,” Sen said.

The minister, however, expressed surprise over Railway Board Chairman S S Khurana’s mentioning about returning the 400 acres of the land to “unwilling farmers”.

“The chairman of the Railway Board never got in touch with us. I don’t know where the railways got this magic figure from,” Sen said.

Explaining the rationale behind state government’s decision to request Railway Board chairman to visit the Singur site, Sen said: “

The Tata Motors built up an infrastructure for a car manufacturing factory and that may not be suitable for a railway coach factory. So they should have gone there to make an assessment,” Sen replied.

Earlier in the Assembly, Sen, while replying to a question asked by Congress Legislature Party leader Manas Bhuniya, said the Singur impasse needs a political solution. “The Opposition wants industry at Singur and so do we. So at least on this issue we have reached a consensus,” he added.

Nayachar gives new ammo to Nanda
Minister for Fisheries Kiranmoy Nanda on Wednesday said that his department was ready to set up a fisheries project

at Nayachar if the state government fails to set up a chemical hub there.

“We don’t know what the state government is doing but if the state government did not set up the chemical hub we are ready to set up a fisheries project. It will be a big project involving a lot of people,” the minister said. Nanda had been in the news recently for his controversial remark in which he had suggested the Left Front to seek a fresh mandate in Bengal.