The Nandigram protests over land acquisition, which rocked the state a year ago, will have a major impact on the outcome of Tamluk parliamentary constituency, known to be a Left bastion. But there are other issues as well besides land that are important. In the constituency, the centre of development has been Haldia, an industrial region, where sitting MP Lakshman Seth has been instrumental in attracting Rs 73,000 crore investment.

Report card

Haldia has got its road and railway connectivity, though investors feel the MP could have done a lot more in terms of infrastructure development. But if you travel beyond Haldia, to other segments of the constituency, roads are in a dismal state.

This constituency covers village areas, and roads were constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). But that did not happen in all the assembly segments evenly. The PMGSY was mostly extended to villages surrounding the Haldia industrial region.

People here want a good transport system, like bus services, before they can demand railway connectivity. The Raichak-Kukrahati bridge envisioned by the state government was to give Haldia a better connectivity with Kolkata and its airport. But Bene Santoso of the Indonesian Salim group, who proposed to invest in the project, is likely to back out from it.

The sitting MP has also tried to make Haldia a seat of learning. But locals say his endeavours have not benefitted the people of the constituency. Most of the people said that the constituency requires an overhaul of infrastructure for primary, secondary as well as higher secondary education.

People in this constituency are going to vote with Nandigram in mind. In fact, Nandigram has cornered the CPI (M) this time and there are all chances that the CPI (M) bastion may crumble. After Nandigram, land acquisition has become a national debate and the CPI (M) rank and file here feel that if the party faces a defeat here, it will boost resistance against land acquisition and industrialisation across the country.

Although CPM is committed to setting up a petroleum, chemical and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR) within the constituency ? after having forced to leave Nandigram for the project, it opted for Nayachar ? people aren?t convinced yet that they should give up land for industry.

Haldia as an industrial hub has not been able to provide too many jobs to locals. So the locals are not convinced that a PCPIR would bring huge opportunity to them creating four lakh jobs as the CPI (M) campaign is claiming. The alarming condition of Haldia Dock Complex, the main arm of Kolkata Port Trust, was supposed to have emerged as another major issue in the polls. The CPI (M) alleges that the Centre has been conspiring to close down the dock systems in Haldia so that the economy of the entire eastern region crumbles.

There have been issues with dredging, shipping minister TR Baalu diverting dredger ships from Haldia to Sethusamudram following cargo diversion to other ports and poor condition of the road and rail infrastructure supporting the port activities.

But finally this did not come out to be a major issue. Subhendu Adhikary, the Trinamool contestant, is riding on this anti-incumbency factor and is expected to do well too. How Nandigram decides the Tamluk vote remains to be seen.

Infrastructure development

Transport

The South Eastern Railways run through the fringes of the constituency, so most of the villages within the constituency are far away from railway connectivity. Even Haldia has only one train running a day despite the fact that Haldia has a port and the industries need rail connections. The National Highway 6 has provided people a link with the capital Kolkata linking it to important towns of the constituency like Kolaghat but availability of public transport has always remained a problem. The Kolkata Airport is the only air connectivity to the constituency and so bettering road connectivity with the airport has been discussed often at the official level.

Education

Haldia has become a seat of learning with an engineering college, a para medical college, a law college and a marine engineering institute. All these have been done with the help of private investment.

Health

Healthcare is another problem area but that’s endemic to the state, not just limited to this constituency. Private healthcare facilities are coming up at some places but government centres are in a mess. But none of these are issues in this poll.

Industrial measures

Haldia as an industrial hub has not been able to provide too many jobs to locals. Although CPI (M) is committed to setting up a petroleum, chemical and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR) within the constituency ?after having forced to leave Nandigram for the project, it opted for Nayachar ? people aren’t convinced yet that they should give up land for industry. The constituency grows betel leaf and flowers for large parts of India, and the world too. Storage problems is a long-pending issue.

My Voice

Shyamal Kr Maity Kolaghat

I lost my land to the Kolaghat Thermal Power Station. I gave my 12 acres away in 1976 and was promised a job against my land. I am still waiting for that job. Those in Nandigram who have resisted land acquisition have done the right thing. I was a CPI (M) activist but I have lost faith in the party. I don?t think I trust Mamata Banerjee either. Her sole objective is to become the chief minister of Bengal

Seikh Firoz Hussain Babua village

My village does not even have a proper road. The the ruling CPI (M) is talking about industrialisation ? that?s good. We are not opposed to industry but we are opposed to the way the CPI (M) has gone about implementing it. There should not be a chemical hub in Nandigram if people do not want it. And for a chemical hub at Nayachar, let?s first find out its impact on the environment.