For all those who are screaming hoarse their lungs out in this blog in support of Ratan Tata, please answer me honestly, if you want.
In Bombay you got two whacking stadia Brabourne & Wankhede in the prime business district where only a couple of cricket matches are played in a year.
Govt asked the land be sold to any one and build multi storeyed office space there. The ongoing office space rates are already one of the highest in the world there i.e Nariman Point.
The owners of the stadia i.e Private Clubs refused to sell that land stating that it is their private property and they can do whatever they like with it. Selling it to build multi storeyed offic space for the good of the nation didnt bother them. Every educated person supported them stating that it is their property and they can do what they like and the GOvt has no say in it.
FINE!
Now, in Singur, the land is alluvial soil i.e. the richest arable soil irrigated by the gangetic tributaries over millenia. The farmers are tilling that land for centuries and are makiing a living out of it.
What moral right has anyone to force them to sell their lands to the Tatas?
If you are rich you get away by builing whacking stadia in the prime business district of the nation.
If you are poor you are forced to sell your best farming land to some one else and you have no say in it?
Are all those educated lot who are screaming hoarse here believe in equality and common rights? Or are they regurgit
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by Rajiv kumar on Aug 26, 2008 05:57 PM Permalink
IT IS BETTER IF YOU TAKE CARE OF MUMBAI ITSELF, & DONT WORRY ABPUT TATA & BENGAL, AS U ARE NOT AWARE ABOUT THE FEELING ON THIS SOIL.
ARE U READY TO BE JOBLESS & TO CUTILVATE FARM .. ? ? ?
RE:I, ME, MYSELF!
by phiroze meherji on Aug 26, 2008 06:32 PM Permalink
I have one question to ask of mr kabeer, when u say that the singur land is alluvial soil and the best soil for agricultural purposes, can he tell us that whether the farmers of singur who toiled in the fields, and cultivated the land did they get the price that was rightfully theirs or did middleman, and others rob them of their rightful earnings, giving them very little in return.I gather that the Tatas have employed the people of singur wherever possible.
I hope better sense prevails, because Mr Ratan Tata is an Indian first and a Mumbaikar second, the CM of Maharashrtra has given him an open invite to bring Nano back, and he might just do that, also this issue is giving a bad vibe for foreign investors to invest in West Bengal.
The need of the hour is all educated people of Bengal should get together and make Ms Mamta realise her folly at the earliest
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by Kabeer on Aug 26, 2008 06:39 PM Permalink
Dear Mr.Phiroze Meherji,
It is a matter of denial of a natural right on ownership of property than anything else. At what price the farmer wants to sell is his prerogative; i.e let the free market forces operate. But we dont permit that. The Govt forces the farmers to sell their land at a predetermined price. Who is the Govt to decide on the price and the sale when the same doesnt have the nerve to force rich clubs on a similar matter?
Regarding conversion of stadia land into office space, factors like power and water anyway have to be provided when the same of build near Bandra Kurla Complex.
It is matter of exercising ones right more than anything else.
JJ Hospital flyover disturbs all residents around in Bombay; but it was built as the sufferers are poor people.
Peddar Road flyover can never come up because it wil disturb rich people like Lata Mangeshkar!
Clearly in this county we have two sets of laws; one for the poor and one for the rich.
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by kieran dsouza on Aug 26, 2008 09:50 PM Permalink
Actually Mr. Kabeer, this is a dangerous trend by giving some cheap incentives to farmers to give up their lands for dubious deals and so called industrialization (how important is NANO?) People are blind to the fact that we are bartering away our food security. Already food prices are going up. Farmers are poor in economics. Cash that looks lot to them will evaporate in one generation then future generations will be condemned to destitution.
Selfish Indians can only think of jobs and life rotating around those jobs but never see the big picture. A population of billion plus should give agriculture and food security highest importance then think about NANO etc
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by ravi bulusu on Aug 26, 2008 06:25 PM Permalink
dear kabeer, All affected farmers are subsistence cultivators, i.e.till their land for their usage& livelihood, a few hundred people. They can never become rich by tilling. The farmers also know this.CPM leaders know this., and agreed for transfer of this land for Industry. Do not compare stadia in Mumbai, as it is better to leave them as they are, instead of multi storeyed bldg complexes, which need power & water resources, million times more than just two stadia. B.RAVI CHANDRA
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by arun on Aug 26, 2008 06:32 PM Permalink
And they should leave their land and livelihood for someone else to get rich.What is the balance in this deal??....Since they are uninfluential--financially or politically---anything can be done to this farmers in the name of development....Let us make our priorities clear.First no corporate house or private firm has the right to seize the land and doing that thru the government is against the spirit of the ethos of this democratic country.First let us protect our farmers then we can think of making the smallest car.
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by Kabeer on Aug 26, 2008 06:37 PM Permalink
Dear Mr. Bulusu Ravi Chandra,
It is a matter of denial of a natural right on ownership of property. At what price the farmer wants to sell is his prerogative; i.e let the free market forces operate. But we dont permit that. The Govt forces the farmers to sell their land at a predetermined price. Who is the Govt to decide on the price and the sale when the same doesnt have the nerve to force rich clubs on a similar matter?
Regarding conversion of stadia land into office space, factors like power and water anyway have to be provided when the same of build near Bandra Kurla Complex.
It is matter of exercising ones right more than anything else.
JJ Hospital flyover disturbs all residents around in Bombay; but it was built as the sufferers are poor people.
Peddar Road flyover can never come up because it wil disturb rich people like Lata Mangeshkar!
Clearly in this county we have two sets of laws; one for the poor and one for the rich.
RE:I, ME, MYSELF!
by swamy on Aug 26, 2008 06:06 PM Permalink
You belong to a pathetic class of people called "NGO" activist who oppose every damn development, if u were in China you would be behind bars.
Anyway to answer your question, the farmers did not seem to object the land sale 2 years ago when Tata offered them twice the going rates. Now some of the farmers realize they can get a better deal by doing agitations and of course Mamata Banerjee is power hungry. You will see them coming to Tata's terms once he threatens to pull out, if that happens, the land rates fall and they are back to square one. Talking of arable land, it is a well known fact that Indian agriculture has underemployment, more people working on a small piece of land, it would be great if rural youth can be employed in the industry so that their true potential is reached. Tatas train their workforce well and also take care of them, example is Tatanagar. It's a political and blackmail game being played out
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by arun on Aug 26, 2008 06:25 PM Permalink
With all the respect to Tatas I support what Kabeer has said.The govt try to bully the farmers and forced to take the land.Mamata was the saviour of the people who have no influence over the things happening around them.On a day the corporate house is simply trying to grab the people of their livelihood by accusation without adequate rehabilitation.And these corporate houses will sing about liberalising the economy when one has not even freedom to continue with his livelihood..Dont tell craps like we should abandon agriculture because agriculture will not give you money as industries...Being said this I respect Tatas for their billion other deeds and vision and ethics unlike the money hungry reliance
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by Kabeer on Aug 26, 2008 06:17 PM Permalink
Dear Swamy,
It is a matter of right about what one wants to do with his or her own property.
Since you labelled me PATHETIC NGO CLASS, where did your class lost its guts to tell the clubs to sell the barren land (there are no trees that can act as lungs as some ignorant people like to tell you) so that more office space can be built near Nariman Point area?
