Anthropological insights in Land, Law and the Left
The Statesman, 23.02.2007 (P.III) South Bengal Plus.
Shyam Sundar Roy
MIDNAPORE, Feb. 22: “West Bengal’s new industrial policy adopted by the state in 1994 can be regarded as an illegitimate child of the Left Front government because it contradicts the policy guidelines stated in earlier reports of the government”, said Dr Abhijit Guha, a senior reader of the department of anthropology in Vidyasagar University.
In his forthcoming book, Land, Law and the Left to be published by Concept Publishing company, New Delhi, in April, Dr Guha argued: “the acquisition of land for industries is a much faster process than land reforms which is a slower and decentralised activity”.
From his researches conducted during 1995 and 1998 in the Kalaikunda gram panchayat area of Midnapore West he had shown that in this particular panchayat about 759 acres of fertile agricultural land was acquired for the purpose the industrial use of the Tatas, Birlas and the Bansal companies.
The amount of land distributed to the landless through pattas (record of rights) in the same GP during 1978 and 1992 was a meager 300 acres.
Dr Guha calculated that the annual rate of land distribution through land reforms turned out to be barely 20 acres per year during 1978 to 1992 whereas during 1986 and 2000 the pace of land acquisition for industries was 56.6 acres per year. This reflected the Left Front government’s “mockery” of its slogans “ agriculture is our foundation and industries our future”, he remarked.
The future of industries, however, did not prove to be bright in the Kalaikunda GP area. Dr Guha’s findings revealed that about 525 acres of land which were acquired for Birla’s pig iron industry has remained unutilised for about a decade in the same area while the farmers whose lands were acquired practically had to beg from door to door for their livelihood.
Ironically, the book entitled Destination: West Bengal published by the WBIDC in 1999, reported under its columns “ Upcoming industrial units” (page 21) the names of Century Textiles, and Pig and sponge iron company which never came into existence.
Nevertheless, a total of 525 acres of land acquired in Kalaikuna GP reduced many solvent farmers like Mr Nirodh Chowdhury of Gokulpur to day labourers. Mr Chowdhury’s 2.5 acres of land, which was his only source of livelihood, was acquired for the Tata Metaliks in 1992 and was given a compensation at the rate of Rs 22,000 per acre. But he had to spend the money for the marriage of his eldest daughter. Further, his younger daughter had to stop going to school after studying till class VI due to the drop in the family income. His two sons dropped school for the same reason. Mr Chowdhury now maintains his family by working as a helper to a mason and his son has become a day labourer.