In A major setback to industrialisation in communist ruled West Bengal, Tata Motors has decided to pull out of Singur. The company has decided to roll out first Nano from Pantnagar in Uttarakhand state. According to the sources, company will make an official announcement within a week.
Meanwhile, the state government sources informed that Tata Motors has started to move out the equipments from the Singur plant. Several trucks loaded with the machines have started rolling out of the Singur Nano manufacturing factory. According to sources, the process of shifting the equipments had started ten days back.
Tata’s exit decision came after the long political turmoil in West Bengal. Since the establishment of the factory in Singur, a spat begun between the ruling government and the opposition Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee. Mamata was demanding the return of 400 acres land to the farmers that was provided to Tatas for setting up the factory. The Trinamool Congress chief staged protests state-wide and in front of Nano manufacturing plant as well.
During the protests Tata Motors workers and officials faced wrath of the Trinamool Congress workers many times. The workers were beaten and also kept hostage inside the factory last month. Two security guards of the plant were also beaten up by the party workers on Monday night, (September 22).
As the Tata Nano project was an important step for industrialisation in West Bengal, so the state government tried to sort out the issue through talks. The state government’s efforts fastened after Ratan Tata’s warning that the company might shift the Nano plant to some other state.
The state governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi talked to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Mamata Banerjee at Raj Bhavan to sort out the issue.
After the talks Mamata announced that the government would return 300 acres of land and she suspended her dharna (protest) outside the manufacturing plant. But, later the chief minister clarified that the government had not made any such promise to Mamata.
Since then no satisfactory decision could be taken by state government and the opposition. Tata Motors was in pressure to meet the October deadline for Rs 1 lakh car ’Nano’. As the situation in Singur was not favourable, the company decided to relocate the plant to Pantnagar.
Exit of Tata from Singur is unfortunate and a major blow to the country’s less industrialised state West Bengal. Bottom line is that Mamata’s irritable demand has pushed the state backward and it would discourage investors as well.
source:merinews
