Resistance surrounds railway project

Statesman News Service

RAIGANJ/MALDA, 13 OCT: Resistance is brewing against proposed land acquisition for laying railway tracks between Gazole in Malda district to Itahar in North Dinajpur district.

While political parties in North Dinajpur have demanded adequate compensation for the tribals who would lose land to the project, residents of several villages in Gazole block of Malda district have unanimously demanded complete rehabilitation and compensation at ongoing market rate for land to be acquired.

The villagers at Gazole have decided to form a committee to protest against the land acquisition. They have convened a meeting at the Nalpur mosque on the issue on Friday and have come up with posters at Nalpur, Dalilpur and other villages protesting against the proposed land acquisition.

In North Dinajpur, the CPI-M, Suci and CPI-ML have demanded rehabilitation and adequate compensation for the potential land losers to the project. The organizations have threatened to organize a movement if the railway authority acquired land without settling the compensation package first.

While the North Dinajpur CPI-ML secretary Mr Suleiman Hafiji said that in addition to tribal land losers, the railway authority must also compensate farmers whose multi-crops land would be used for the purpose, the district Suci secretary Mr Dulal Rajbanshi said: “We welcome the railway project but, the tribals should not be evicted without rehabilitation and adequate compensation. We would send a letter to the railway minister Miss Mamata Banerjee on the matter and urge her to declare compensation as per the grade of land.”

Welcoming the project, North Dinajpur CPI-M leader Mr Subir Biswas said: “We demand a transparent package for the tribal and other land losers before acquisition.”

CPI leader and state water resource development minister Mr Nanda Gopal Bhattacharjee who was here yesterday threatened a movement if the tribals and farmers are deprived during acquisition at Itahar for the project.

The Congress too is for compensation as per prevailing land price.

Assuring cooperation to the project, the North Dinajpur Congress president Mr Mohit Sengupta said: “If compensation for multi-crop land acquired is lower than the ideal price, we would launch a movement in favour of the land losers.”

The North Dinajpur Trinamool working president Mr Tilak Chaudhury, however, assured all. “Adequate compensation to land losers is part of our movement. We would request Miss Mamata Banarjee to ensure the tribals and farmers are not affected during land acquisition.”

There is anxiety in the Gazole block of Malda, however.

“We will not give up land without total rehabilitation and compensation at market price,” is what the villagers like Kausar Ali, Anwar Ali and Abdul Samim claimed.

“We would fight till the last,” they added.

According to another villager Kausar Ali homestead land in their area was about Rs 25,000 per cottah. “Based on that rate the current price of one acre land at Gazole proper is about Rs 15 lakh,” he added.