Will bring Tatas to Bengal but Singur land no longer belongs to Govt, says Bengal CM
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. File | Photo credit: ANI
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Friday (June 12, 2026) that the government will bring the Tata Group back to the state. He, however, added that the land in Singur on which Tata Motors had set up a car factory no longer belonged to the state government as it had been returned to the farmers.
“Farmers in Singur cannot grow any crops as the concrete imported for the factory has mixed with the soil,” the chief minister said. The withdrawal of Tata Motors from Singur in 2008 is seen as a setback to the industrial aspirations of the people of West Bengal. After a protracted legal battle, the land acquired by the Left Front government in Singur has been returned to the West Bengal farmers of Mamata Banerjee during the Trinamool regime.
Addressing reporters at an event to mark 12 years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Mr Adhikari said his government was serious about attracting investment to the state, but added that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal would not engage in “photoshoots” in the name of industrialisation.
“We want to find out if those (industrialists) who are investing in the state are good, if there are charges against them of tax fraud, land scam or money laundering… if they have taken land and not invested and want to meet to keep the land,” the chief minister said, adding that his government would be cautious about business groups investing in West Bengal.
Mr. Adhikari said land acquisition would not be an issue and that land acquisition by force like the Left Front government or pushing industries out of the state like the Trinamool Congress government was not the solution.
The chief minister cited the allotment of land to the Border Security Force to fence about 100 km of the West-Bangladesh border as a major achievement of his first month as chief minister. He added that people are willing to give up land for industrialization and that the industrialization plan will be reflected in the budget to be presented in the assembly later this month.
Commenting on the Bengal Global Business Summit, Mr. Adhikari said the event management firm was paid ₹635 million for hosting the various editions of the business summit. “I have a list. The previous Trinamool government paid ₹635 crore to an event management company in the name of the Bengal Global Business Summit organization. There will be an investigation. We will not only conduct an investigation but file cases,” he said.
Zero tolerance for hooliganism
Addressing a press conference on a number of issues, the chief minister said the government has a “zero tolerance” policy towards riots, hooliganism and anti-social activities.
“There were certain incidents after we came to power and we dealt with them forcefully and sent a clear signal that there will be zero tolerance for this kind of riots, hooliganism and anti-social activities. We will not allow such things to continue,” he said.
Referring to the violence in Asansol and Park Circus, the Chief Minister said that after strong police action, similar incidents have not recurred.
Protects the drive against tampering
Mr. Adhikari also advocated continued anti-burglary drives against hawkers on the streets of Kolkata and at railway stations.
“People have the right to walk on the footpaths. No one has the right to occupy them. No one has given me the right to hand over the broad roads and footpaths of Kolkata to anyone. I am responsible to the people,” he said.
The Chief Minister highlighted the congestion in areas like New Market, Rajabazar and Metiabruz in Kolkata to argue that unchecked encroachment has become a problem of governance rather than just a matter of livelihood.
“The government will act humanely and possibilities of rehabilitation on the unused government land will be explored. But first, the encroachments will have to be removed,” the chief minister said.
Published – 13 Jun 2026 02:12 IST