People's Democracy

On Land Use In West Bengal

Prakash Karat

THE amendments made to the land reform act in West Bengal during the last assembly session created quite a lot of controversy mainly due to slanted media coverage. The land ceiling laws were being diluted, it was alleged. Agricultural land was going to be converted on a large scale for industrial and other non-agricultural purposes, it was claimed. It was declared that the CPI(M) was a divided house regarding the changes in the law. The chief minister was said to be waging a battle within his own Party.

All these coloured reports were put out by the media all over the country. The attempt was to depict the “reformist” chief minister bent upon handing over large tracts of prime agricultural land to industrial houses and foreign companies.

The CPI(M) is legitimately proud of the achievements of the Left Front government in undertaking land reforms. It is these reforms, the most advanced in the country, which laid the basis for the expansion of agricultural production and making West Bengal the largest rice producer in the country. The state produces 150 lakh (15 million) metric tonnes of rice annually. Nearly 11 lakh acres surplus land was taken over and distributed. This constitutes about 20 per cent of the land redistributed in the whole of India. Apart from that 14 lakh bargadars (share croppers) were registered guaranteeing security of tenure.

West Bengal has 1.35 crore (13.5 million) acres of agricultural land, 72 per cent of which is cultivated by small and marginal farmers. The ceiling on land holding position in the state is 12.5 acres for irrigated land and 17.5 acres for non-irrigated land. The Left Front government and the CPI(M) have no intention whatsoever of undermining this significant achievement in land reforms.

UNLOCKING UNUSED LAND

The West Bengal land reforms amendment bill which was passed in the state assembly contained amendments some of which are purely technical in nature, a few which relate to administrative needs for better management of land and some which rationalise the land tax provisions to benefit the people. There was only one amendment which was substantive in nature and involved a policy question. This was the amendment to section 14 (z) in the original act. The purpose of the amendment was to clear the legal hurdles so that the land locked up in closed mills, factories and industries can be put to use. According to a study conducted in five districts around Kolkata, there are 41,000 acres of land lying locked in closed mills, factories and sick units which are not in industrial use. Unlocking this land could serve a number of purposes. A portion of the land can be sold for revival of some of the sick units or for the payment of the arrears of the employees. Further such land could also be allotted for small-scale industries or other industrial units. Such land has been lying unutilised for decades because of legal complications. The amendment would enable through a written order of the state government the transfer by way of open auction of such land at a price not less than the reserve price to be determined by the collector, which “in the opinion of the state government is required for the purpose of revival of the mills, factories or workshops including the payment of the outstanding liabilities of the employees of such mills, factories or workshops, in such manner as may be prescribed and the price realised from such auction shall be utilised under the supervision and control of such authority, and in such manner, as may be prescribed.”

This amendment was discussed in the state secretariat of the CPI(M) and there is no controversy or difference in the Party on this subject.

Another proposed amendment which would have allowed land in excess of the ceiling to be acquired or held for purposes of establishing professional colleges, universities, development of waste land, tourism, plantation of medicinal and other major crops was withdrawn because neither the CPI(M) secretariat nor the Left Front had discussed and decided on the matter.

In recent years, the Left Front has seriously taken up the task of developing industry and developing those sectors of the economy which can provide non-agricultural employment. This requires a major effort for developing the infrastructure and communications facilities. Along with this, growing urbanisation and the development of the health, educational and services needs land outside agricultural purposes.

The land use policy of the Left Front government will maintain the thrust of land reforms and retaining the present ownership structure of land used for agricultural purposes. There will be no step taken which will undermine either land reforms or the food security of West Bengal.

LAND USE POLICY

Land will have to be identified and acquired for the growing needs of infrastructure development, industry, planned urbanisation and other sectors. Wasteland and non-arable land would obviously be the main source for such usage. Acquisition of some agricultural land would be unavoidable in certain large projects where contiguity is also required. In such cases arable land which is mono-crop would be provided rather than fertile multi-crop lands. Criticism of such acquisition of land is either uninformed, or, due to the political motive of casting the Left Front government in a bad light. There have been a number of cases in West Bengal where land has been acquired for urban housing projects such as in Rajarhat, Howrah and Siliguri and other projects. The procedures for such acquisition are based on certain laws and subject to public scrutiny.

It is not only in West Bengal but also all over the country that the issue of scientific land use arises. In West Bengal, the Left Front is conscious that there should be no indiscriminate transfer of agricultural land.

The other controversy which has been raked up in the media has some connection to the question of land acquisition. This concerns foreign direct investment and the requirement of land connected with such projects. The CPI(M) is clear that all FDI proposals should be seen in the light of the policy document adopted by the 18th Party congress. The approach to FDI is explained in this document. The flow of foreign direct investment must fulfill the following conditions: a) such capital should augment the existing productive capacities in our economy; b) foreign capital must upgrade the economy technologically; and c) such capital must lead to employment generation.

The Left Front government would adopt a case-by-case approach to each FDI proposal. The CPI(M) does not subscribe to the dogmatic stand of certain quarters that all FDI should be opposed. At the same time FDI flows should broadly conform to the approach spelt out in the policy document. Any major enterprise whether it is foreign or domestically financed, being set up in West Bengal will require land. The government will then identify and allot land on the basis of the land-use policy set out above.

The CPI(M) in its recent central committee meeting discussed these issues based on the report presented by the West Bengal leadership. The efforts of the Left Front to maintain agricultural growth and promote infrastructure development and industrialisation has the support of the Party. The discussions in the central committee have refuted the motivated propaganda that there is one line for West Bengal and another at the national level.