22 August : Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata has threatened to exit West Bengal if there was no let up in violence at Singur, where the company is building a factory to make the world’s cheapest car ‘Nano’.
"We are deeply concerned at the violence and disruption and at the safety of our employees, equipment and investments at the project site at Singur," Tata told reporters on the sidelines of the Tata Tea annual general meeting in Kolkata on Friday.
He said, "It is for the people of West Bengal and Kolkata to decide whether we are unwanted or accept us as a good corporate citizen. If it is the latter, then it is good."
He said that if it was the other, then it would be impossible to alter the plan "following which we would have to make a move despite whatever investments had been already made in the project."
A visibly disturbed Tata said that Rs 1500 crore of investments had been already made in the project."There is a sense of tension, violence and disruption (at Singur). Obviously it is not a conducive atmosphere. The compound wall is broken down, materials stolen."
"Whatever be the cost, we will move out if the situation demands so," he said.Tata said that there was a general perception that Tatas were exploiting the state. "We are extremely sensitive to the needs of the rural community. We have not come to exploit anyone. We have got the land on lease and not bought it."
The state had been long ignored by industrial houses, including the Tatas."Despite much flak which we have drawn for locating the dream project at Singur, we have decided to locate the project here. We are also gifting a hospital to the state which would be commissioned in March 2009," he said.
Saying that he had no regret for coming to West Bengal, he said "I am an optimist."If the project was moved out of Singur, then it would definitely affect the future flow of investments by the Tatas in the state, he said.
Explaining the situation at Singur, Tata said: "It is not possible to work under police protection."On the issue of 400 acres which had been earmarked for the ancillary units, Tata said that the small car ‘Nano’ was a unique product. "It is necessary to incorporate the ancillary units in the same location to keep the logistics cost low."
The main opposition Trinamool Congress in the state is insisting that the company set up operations on 600 acres and return 400 acres of land earmarked for ancillary units to farmers from whom the property was acquired forcibly.
With the state government not relenting to the opposition party’s demands, a deadlock has been created leading to tension and violence in the project area.People of WB want Nano car project: Industry minister
The people of West Bengal wanted the Tata Motors small car project at Singur and the state government was hopeful about it, Industry minister Nirupam Sen said in Kolkata on Friday.
"You told me and I heard it. Now you decide," was the initial reaction of Sen when reporters asked him about Ratan Tata’s statement that Tata Motors would pull out if the violence and agitation continued at Singur.
He said that the people of the state wanted the ‘Nano’ car project and Tata also knew it.
The Industry minister said that the small car project could not come up if 400 acre was returned as demanded by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.
Sen who had discussed the Singur project with Tata in Kolkata on Thursday night, said that the state government wanted to work out a solution and was open for talks to find out an acceptable solution.
Appealing to Trinamool Congress, he said, "Let us work together and identify those families who might be facing hardship after losing their land at Singur. The state government is ready to provide them alternative livelihood."
"I also told the Tatas to come forward in this respect and they have agreed," the Industry Minister said.Sen said that Ratan Tata during his meeting with him on Thursday night had expressed concern over what was happening at Singur.
"I informed him that we are talking to TC leadership on this issue. He (Tata) wanted to talk to me and I felt it was our responsibility to address his concern."
When asked whether the state government could give the landloser farmers at Singur alternative land elsewhere, he said, "How can the government acquire somebody’s land to give it to somebody else?"
Stating that the majority of farmers at Singur had accepted compensation cheques, he said so far 2,251 people at Singur had not taken compensation fully or partly and the total land owned by them was 305 acre.
On the other hand, 10,852 people, holding 691.66 acre, had accepted compensation.Denying Trinamool’s charge that the agreement between the state government and the Tata Motors was being concealed, he said he had clearly spelt it out in the assembly what concessions were given to Tata Motors.
Sen also clarified that once land was acquired for public purpose it could not be returned.The Calcutta High Court had upheld the acquisition which had been challenged in the apex court. "If the Supreme Court said it was null and void, the unit would not come up."
Mamata criticises Tata; not to budge from demand Criticising Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata for threatening to pull out the Nano project if violence and disruption continued in Singur, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said she would not budge from her demand for return of 400 acre of land there.
"We don’t want anybody to move out of West Bengal, but at the same time, we will not bow to any kind of pressure," Banerjee, whose party planned to lay siege to the small car plant at Singur on 24th August, told reporters in Kolkata on Friday.
"There should not be any kind of blackmailing. It is highly reprehensible that he has chosen to brand Singur villagers thieves for alleged pilferage of construction materials."
Asked if she was ready to talk to the Tatas, she said "in principle, we would like Ratan Tata to concede our demand for return of 400 acre forcibly taken away from unwilling farmers."
Banerjee was also critical of Industry minister Nirupam Sen’s meeting with Tata at a hotel in Kolkata on Thursday, saying the meeting aimed at "secretly plotting against the people of Singur".
The Trinamool supremo blamed the state government for the crisis at Singur and said it had not yet made public the land deal with the Tatas despite several demands.
Referring to insecurity cited by Tata in Singur, Banerjee said, "There is adequate security with the state government that deploys around 30,000 policemen."
She said she, in turn, would rather demand a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each of the 10 persons who died in Singur since the project started.
Banerjee claimed that had the Tatas felt for the people of West Bengal there would not be "so many tea gardens closed in the state."
"Why did 10 trade union members die at the Tata plant in Jamshedpur and why did the Tatas have to withdraw from the Kalinganagar project in Orissa?" she said.
On Tata Motors Managing Director Ravi Kant’s letter to her, she said, "I find no reason why I should answer to their queries since I am only concerned with the interest of farmers."
Banerjee claimed that her party had provided a solution to the state government a number of times of constructing the mother plant on 600 acres and returning 400 acres to farmers unwilling to part with their land.
Reiterating that she wanted simultaneous development of both industry and agriculture, the Trinamool chief alleged that the state government had given "undue advantage" to the Tatas for land allocation and in the economic package.
"There was discrimination in showing undue favour to the Tatas at the expense of other industrialists," she alleged.
Banerjee said "evidence shows that the Tatas were not only given undue favour by the state government, but were allocated additional land at Singur."
Banerjee said the people of Singur had given a "clear verdict" against forcible land acquisition in the recent panchayat elections. DDINEWS