TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is understood to be in touch with leaders from Singur to draft an alternative approach. Even though neither the TMC local leadership nor any party high-up went official on the plan, talks have been “internally held” in the Trinamool core circle on shifting the focus from the land for ancillary units to a strip of land earmarked for forestry, social infrastructure, housing and shopping mall, besides quarters for security personnel of the plant.

Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacherjee reiterated that he is ready to “talk to Trinamool Congress if the party speaks sense and offers a real alternative”.

A section of farmers, who have so far refused to accept compensation cheques and insisted on return of land, have started exerting pressure on the party leadership to initiate a dialogue with the government so that the confrontation over the return of 400 acres of farmland could be scaled down to around 300 to 320 acres.

“We have to see an end to this agitation as it has been affecting the livelihood of several people,” said Lakshmi Das, wife of a farmer whose five bighas of land had been forcibly acquired for the project. “It’s straining our nerves; we want peace.”

Meanwhile labourers on their way to work at an ancillary unit of the Tata Motors’ Nano project at Singur and a trolley van-puller carrying them were allegedly assaulted on Wednesday by Trinamool Congress workers. One of the victims lodged a police complaint, saying the assailants cautioned them against working in the Nano project. ”