Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi Saturday began a second round of mediatory talks to find a solution to the 28-month dispute over the acquisition of farmland for the Tata Motors small car project at Singur, some 40 km from here.

After the first round of parleys here with representatives of both the state government and the Trinamool Congress, which is spearheading the protest, the governor - the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi - said a solution seemed to be in sight.

The two warring sides also came out with positive statements. "We are heading towards a solution," said Trinamool Congress leader Partho Chattopadhyay while coming out of governor s official residence - the Raj Bhavan - after the the first round of talks, which ended late Friday evening.

 "They presented their views. We also presented our views. We had free and frank discussions to arrive at a solution that will ensure that Tata Motors remain in our state," said state Industry Minister Nirupam Sen after the meeting.

Trinamool Congress-backed farmers have been holding protests since Aug 24 at the Nano project site at Singur. They want the government to return 400 acres of land out of the 997.11 acres acquired for the Tata Motors factory and ancillary units.

Source : IANS