The state government has already begun a process of identifying the land that can be offered to those farmers who have not accepted the compensation and are still fighting the forcible acquisition.

"Nirupam (Sen, the state commerce and industries minister) is preparing the list (of land owners) and we are looking into the various legal factors involved," Basu said after his party's state secretariat met this afternoon. "I am hopeful that we will resolve the issue soon," he said, without elaborating further.

Sen acknowledged that he had been assigned the task by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, according to a party leader present at the meeting who did not wish to be named.

So far, Banerjee has demanded that the land that was forcibly acquired be returned to the farmers. It is unclear whether the disgruntled farmers will accept land elsewhere.