More compensation for farmers likely

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb 22: To acquire farmland, the state government is planning to increase the rate of compensation and prepare a rehabilitation package for the genuine farmers and enlisted sharecroppers who will offer their lands to the state. Addressing the three-day state conference of land and land reforms officers at Malda town hall, the departmental minister Mr Abdur Rezzak Molla said: “There are two types of land owners. We would pay only value of the land to the owners who are not directly engaged in agriculture. But we have to pay more than the value of the farm land to the genuine farmers, who are directly involved in agriculture based on their land.” “Not only cash payment but also something extra like a share of equity or anything so a farmer can get an alternative source of earning in exchange of farmland. Cash component is not sufficient for a farmer. It may be exhausted in a certain period,” he said. According to him, the government did not think about the fate of farmers who had offered their land to government but they have to think about this and land acquisition would be smoother for industrialisation. "We should be strict before offering land for real estate but should be liberal for social service. But we remain soft to offer land for real estate but not for social service," he said. The minister has stressed the need of land management and land reforms to save it from the hands of land mafia who are grabbing land in the state. He criticised departmental officials for failing to maintain land records and information. In his speech, the minister also came heavily upon the officers of his department for their dilly-dally. "Why do you harass the people by asking for different papers in different time instead of asking for them all at a time?" he asked. Explaining the present controversy on the issue of agriculture versus industry, he said: “There is no 'versus'. Industry and agriculture is reciprocal and both are depending on each other for employment. We are struggling to use capital and investment but we are not developing capital in this state.” “We are under compulsion to generate employment and acting as facilitator promoting Tata to develop automobile industries in this state,” Mr Molla said.He stressed the need to develop major irrigation for agriculture lands to increase productivity of agriculture produce to make up losses of agriculture land for industrialisation. “There is no major irrigation and its commendable areas. One Teesta project was started many years ago but one-fourth of its project is yet to complete in north Bengal. There is no irrigation system in nearly 13 lakh acres land,” he said. The minister also criticised the party workers and said: “I got an application seeking land for a library building. But we found out it was for the construction of a CPI-M party office. I told them I would allow land for the library of Karl Marx but not for party office.”