For all the respect that I have for the TATAs, I think they have missed a golden opportunity to demonstrate how industrialization can be done without allowing politicians to interfere in such matters. This was all the more necessary since it is not only they in WB who are facing this problem but innumerable projects all over India are held up because of the problem of opposition to land allotment to the project - POSCO in Orissa, Essar Steel in Chattisgarh, and innumerable SEZs all over.
The TATAs needed to by pass the politicians and deal directly with the affected people. Form a copperative of the people whose lands are acquired and acknowledge this land acquisition as an investment in the project. Such an investment would pay returns to the cooperative year after year after year and there would be a reason for the land owners to stand up to the Trinamul or any other party fishing in troubled waters. It is not too late even now for the TATAs to show the way out. They will also have to get out of the Jamshedpur mind set. The Jamshedpur model was possible then. In today's world newer models are required. Every Bihar and now Jharkhand Government has wanted to renegotiate the Jamshedpur model and the only answer the Tatas have had is the treat to withdrawn further investments from Bihar / Jharkhand. Thus we now have Telco Pune, Lucknow, Pantnagar etc. with Jharkhand deprived of its legitimate investments. Will the TATAs try and think "out fo the box" for a change.
