INDIA BUSINESS WORLD - May 11th - MAY 31st - 2008
SUPREME COURT QUESTIONS BENGAL GOVT ON SINGUR LAND, ORDERS STATUS QUO FOR NOW
The Supreme Court sought an explanation from the West Bengal government and others on a bunch of petitions challenging acquisition of land at Singur for Tata Motors Nano car project. The court, however, said that status quo has to be maintained and refused to interfere with the order of the Calcutta High Court at this stage.
A division bench of the high court had, on January 18, upheld the validity of acquisition of 997.11 acres at Singur for a Tata Motors facility which would manufacture the world’s cheapest car. The car, Nano, is scheduled to hit the market by October. The high court had dismissed a bunch of petitions challenging the acqusition of land for the project.
A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan issued notices to the state government, West Bengal Industrial Development Nigam and the Centre seeking their replies in the case.
After hearing the preliminary pleas, the court said, “we are not going to pass any order at this stage. Status quo has to be maintained”. The matter will now be heard in July.
The court has already allowed an application filed by Tata Motors seeking its intervention in the case. The court had asked the company to place on record the relevant materials in defence of its project.
Four petitions has been filed in the apex court alleging that the acquisition of land for the people’s car project was against the relevant provisions of Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and other rules. The petitions said that the government has acquired mostly valuable and good fertile agricultural lands in the state without making any master plan for development of trade, commerce and industries. It has cited the example of not just the Tata project at Singur but also of Salem group in Haldia as well.
Such acquisition of lands for projects was violative of the objectives of the West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation Act, it said.
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