PM terms firing in Nandigram as 'sad' - NDTV.com - News on PM terms firing in Nandigram as 'sad'

PM terms firing in Nandigram as 'sad' - NDTV.com - News on PM terms firing in Nandigram as 'sad'


PM terms firing in Nandigram as 'sad'

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NDTV Correspondent

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 (New Delhi):


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday described the loss of life in police firing in Nandigram in West Bengal as "sad".

"It is an event which should not have happened," Singh told reporters in his first comment on the issue after the Defence Investiture at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Asked if the killings could be a setback to setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZ), the Prime Minister said "I don't think so".

The Nandigram issue has paralysed proceedings in Parliament for five days.

NDTV has learnt that the Ministry of Rural Development is now formulating a new rehabilitation and resettlement policy.

This policy will offer better compensation to all those who are displaced as well as make the developer of an SEZ responsible for rehabilitation.

In fact the SEZ policy was discussed on Wednesday by the UPA government at a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister for all the UPA allies and the Left parties.

A final decision on the compensation policy however will be taken by the empowered Group of Minister headed by Foreign Minister Pranab Mukehrejee.