---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Garga Chatterjee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: foil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:59:19 -0400 Subject: [foil] CPM's "friendly fire" http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2007-08-22&usrsess=1&clid=23&id=194323
Marxist family alleges land grab in Bankura Statesman News Service SONAMUKHI, Aug 21: A family owing allegiance to the Marxists has raised its voice against land grabbing by the CPIM-run panchayat samiti here. The family members alleged that the samiti is building a community hall on their land. Calcutta High Court had ordered the local block land and land revenue officer to ensure proper demarcation of the land. The matter created a stir in this small town in Bankura. The accusation brought by the CPI-M's own men against the panchayat samiti has embarrassed the party here. The controversy at Sonamukhi deepened when the BLLRO failed to identify the demarcated land on 9 August, despite the High Court order on 18 July. The state official, in a written submission, stated that no vacant land was available on the plot in question. Mr Kanakmoy Chatterjee, Mr Ranabir Chatterjee and their family members, known as CPI-M cadres, brought the matter to light by filing a writ petition in Calcutta High Court, alleging that the panchayat samiti was building a community hall on 0.86 acres owned by the petitioners in plot No 3011 under the Sonamukhi Municipality area. The samiti, however, refused to accept that it was grabbing land from the family in an unauthorised manner. On 5 December, 2005, Mr Justice Pranab Kumar Chattopadhyay had passed an interim order asking the respondent samiti to refrain from any construction work on the land recorded as bagan (garden). When the samiti didn't pay any heed to the High Court order and continued construction of the community hall, the family moved the High Court on 12 December 2005, which gave instructions to the BLLRO. Mr Chatterjee alleged: "Just 0.21 acres of a total of 0.86 acres were demarcated by the BLLRO. We did not accept the act as proper compliance with the order passed by the High Court. During measurement, he could not trace out the land that was supposed to remain vacant." Mr Prabhat Kumar Chatterjee, BLLRO, in his report stated: "While taking measurements, it appears that no vacant land measuring 0.86 acres were available. The land has been wrested for the samiti's community hall and it is natural that the BLLRO would plead helplessness." ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Garga Chatterjee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: foil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:01:14 -0400 Subject: [foil] Another CPM Zonal Secretary in soup http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2007-08-22&usrsess=1&clid=23&id=194321 CPM leader expelled for molestation Statesman News Service BURDWAN, Aug 21: A Marxist leader was expelled from the party today after charges of molesting a tribal woman was brought against him. The leader was hauled to a tribal court on the outskirts of a village about 30 km from Burdwan town. The incident occurred on 19 August. A case against Mr Diger however is still pending at the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court, Burdwan. A widow of the same Horipur village has alleged had Diger had attempted rape on her on 27 September 2006. The woman, secretary of a Self Help Group backed by the CPI-M had sought judicial help but the case is still pending. Mr Shyam Pal, zonal secretary of the party said: "He has been removed on charges of financial corruption." He reserved comment on verdict by the tribal court against Mr Diger. Sen corrects CM, resizes hub OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Calcutta, Aug. 24: Forty hours after the chief minister said the "mega" chemical hub would come up on around 10,000 acres in Haldia, the industries minister denied any downsizing and insisted that it would cover 25,000 acres. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had said 4,000 acres of government land would be added to the plots on which Haldia Petrochem and Mitsubishi plants are located to make it a 10,000-acre chemical hub. "The chief minister isn't correct. He has too many things on his mind. We'll have the hub on 25,000 acres, of which 10,000 are yet to be acquired," Sen said today. He clarified that the hub will come up on 25,000 acres in Haldia, in conformity with the Centre's guidelines for a Petroleum Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR). "According to the guidelines, a chemical hub has to come up on 25,000 acres. We have industries like Haldia Petrochemicals and other units on 15,000 acres in Haldia. We'll acquire another 10,000 acres to complete the hub," Sen added. Land acquisition, he felt, will not be a problem. "We are not acquiring 10,000 acres at a time, but in phases." The capacity of the existing IOC refinery in Haldia will be increased from six million tonnes a year to 15 million tonnes. "Moreover, a deep-sea port has to be built for the mega hub. At present, crude oil is coming from Paradip through pipelines. Big containers carrying crude oil can be unloaded at the deep-sea port," Sen said. CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc leaders, who sounded happy after the apparent scaling down of plans, today said Sen's statement on the chemical hub would "create misunderstanding" among the allies and send "a wrong signal" to the people. "After the chief minister has said the hub would come up on 10,000 acres, how can an important minister contradict him? They are speaking different languages," said CPI central secretariat member and water resources minister Nandagopal Bhattacharya. Irrigation minister Subhas Naskar of the RSP expressed surprise over Sen's statement. He demanded a Left Front meeting immediately to discuss the chief minister's statement and Sen's. http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-29165920070827 http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Forward_Bloc_warns_of_bloodshed_over_Reliances_entry/articleshow/2310678.cms http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2898433.ece http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-08-26-voa5.cfm Reliance Retail suspends West Bengal plan Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:40AM IST Email | Print | Digg | Single Page [-] Text [+] Photo 1 of 1Full Size MUMBAI (Reuters) - Reliance Retail Ltd has suspended plans to open stores in the West Bengal, the Mint newspaper reported on Monday, after Uttar Pradesh last week ordered its stores shut because of security concerns. Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, had planned to invest 20 billion rupees in 145 grocery stores, six processing centres, nine distribution and 23 collection centres in West Bengal, the newspaper said. "We will open the stores only when we feel there is protection to our people and our property," Raghu Pillai, president of Reliance Retail, told the newspaper. "We are still evaluating the date," he said of a new time-table for the stores, the paper quoted him as saying. "We strongly oppose the entry of the Reliance group in West Bengal's agri-retail market," Naren Chatterjee, a member of the Forward Bloc party and chairman of the West Bengal Agricultural Marketing Board, told the Mint. A spokesman for Reliance declined comment on the company's course of action. The government of the northern Uttar Pradesh on Thursday ordered shut 10 Reliance Fresh grocery stores. The stores could be shut for up to 60 days as authorities look into law and order problems stemming from opposition by traders, farmers and small store owners who fear job losses. Reliance Retail, which plans to spend $5.6 billion, has already opened more than 250 Reliance Fresh stores. India's fragmented $350 billion retail industry is forecast to double by 2015, helped by the entry of large local and foreign companies. Modern retail makes up only about 3 percent now. Wal-Mart Stores Inc recently signed a joint venture agreement for wholesale stores with Bharti Enterprises. Forward Bloc warns of bloodshed over Reliance's entry 25 Aug, 2007, 2058 hrs IST, PTI Print Save EMail Write to Editor KOLKATA: The Forward Bloc, a senior partner in West Bengal's ruling Left Front, on Saturday warned there would be "bloodshed" if Reliance entered the agricultural retail business in the state. "We will not allow the entry with the help of police of Reliance in the agri-retail business in this state. There will be bloodshed if any attempt is made (in this regard by the Left Front government)," senior Forward Bloc leader Naren Chatterjee told a rally of the party's labour body, Trade Union Co-ordination Centre here. The threat by Chatterjee, who is the chairman of the West Bengal State Marketing Board, came days after Forward Bloc supporters ransacked a Reliance Fresh outlet here on August 18. The Forward Bloc, which controls the state's agriculture department, has refused to issue a licence to Reliance on the ground that its retail project would harm the interests of farmers and small traders. Reliance's agricultural retail project envisages the setting up of complete retail infrastructure, ranging from farms to retail outlets. Indian shopkeepers force new supermarkets to close By Andrew Buncombe Published: 27 August 2007 The authorities in India's most populous state have ordered the closure of more than a dozen new supermarkets after demonstrations by activists who claim the stores will destroy the livelihoods of traditional farmers and shopkeepers. In a rare blow against the interests of big business in India, the state government in Uttar Pradesh ordered Reliance Industries and the RPG Group to close the stores, many of which had only been opened on Wednesday. The openings of the Reliance Fresh stores were met with violent protests in the cities of Lucknow and Banares. The state's chief minister, who goes under the one name of Mayawati, said: "There has been widespread protest against the opening of retail shops by big corporate houses. Fearing further deterioration in the law and order situation, we have decided to close down such retail shops." The decision by Mayawati, who was elected earlier this year, highlights one of India's many faultlines as the country's economic transformation continues. While the middle classes continue to prosper, the gap between the rich and poor is growing. Nothing highlights that tension more clearly than the battle over India's retail sector. Reliance Industries, which already has 250 stores across the country, is preparing to spend $5.6bn (£2.8bn) on more stores in a move it believes will revolutionise the way Indians shop. Only 4 per cent of the retail sector is "organised" and the overwhelming majority of people buy their food from small markets or else an estimated 12 million small family-run shops. The potential profits for companies such as Reliance, as well as foreign corporations such as Wal-Mart and Tesco which are very keen to enter the sector, are huge. Some analysts have estimated India's $350bn retail industry could double in size by 2015 as the country's middle class enjoys an unprecedented purchasing power. Reliance's well-heeled customers voiced their disappointment over the closures. At a supermarket in Noida, a satellite city of Delhi, which was about to close, one of the customers, V P S Nanda, summed up the reasons he shopped in the Western-style store. "In the street markets it's not hygienic, their weights don't work and there's no air-conditioning," Mr Nanda, a stationery shop owner, told Reuters. Opposition to Large Retail Stores Grows in India By Anjana Pasricha New Delhi 26 August 2007 Pasricha report (mp3) - Download 572k audio clip Listen to Pasricha report (mp3) audio clip Woman walks outside a Reliance Fresh supermarket in Hyderabad, India Woman walks outside a Reliance Fresh supermarket in Hyderabad, India In India, efforts by multinationals to grab a slice of the country's growing retail business are meeting strong opposition from traders and farmers, who fear new mega stores will edge them out of business. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, a chain of supermarkets in the country's most populous state have been temporarily shut by the state government following violent protests. The Uttar Pradesh government ordered several supermarkets to shut down after traders and local activists smashed windows and ransacked several outlets opened recently in the cities of Lucknow and Varanasi. The stores belong to the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati says the stores were closed due to fears that law and order could deteriorate. Mayawati says the supermarkets will remain shut until a committee established to look into the issue submits its report. Reliance Industries is one of several Indian companies investing billions of dollars to establish countrywide retail chains to grab part of a $350-billion market. But opposition to the big supermarkets is growing in a country where "mom and pop" stores dominate the landscape. Small shopkeepers complain that new mega-stores are taking away their business. Protests have been witnessed in recent months not only in Uttar Pradesh, but also in states such as Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. And earlier this month, traders and activists led nationwide demonstrations against the entry of U.S. retailer Walmart, which plans to establish cash-and-carry wholesale stores. Walmart is coming into the wholesale business, because so far the Indian government has resisted pressure to give foreign companies direct access to the retail business. Now, domestic companies are worried that growing opposition from traders and farmers could prompt state governments to slow down their entry into the sector. There have been reports that some states may limit the size of stores and the number companies can open. The retail sector is politically sensitive because it generates the most jobs after agriculture. It provides employment to 40 million people directly, and many more indirectly. This huge bloc of traders and farmers adds up to crucial votes at election time. Advocates of large chain stores say they will reduce consumer prices, increase product selection, and, by using efficient transportation and cold storage facilities, reduce food spoilage. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
