Date:04/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100455451000.htm

Front Page

“A loss for West Bengal”

Special Correspondent

Kolkata: “The eight crore people of West Bengal have suffered a loss with the exit of the Nano project from West Bengal and we do not know how to make it up,” Industry Minister Nirupam Sen said here on Friday.

Pointing out that this would have “a very very negative impact” on the perception of West Bengal as an investment destination, Mr. Sen said that the main task before the government now would be to restore investor confidence. “The State government remains committed to industrialisation,” he said. He also said that there was no question of returning the acquired lands at Singur.

On the eve of the Durga Puja, this decision on the part of the Tatas has brought in bad news that would disappoint scores of aspiring youth who had begun looking forward to a new dawn and a future for themselves.

“I hope that the persons who had spearheaded this political agitation would do some introspection as to how their decision had benefited the people of West Bengal. They are opposing not only this project but also power, and road projects. I would urge them to take a re-look,” he said.

Mr. Sen was briefing the media after a one-a-half hour meeting with Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata, who alongwith his senior executives met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The Chief Minister left the State secretariat later without talking to journalists.

A dejected Mr. Sen said that efforts were made to convince Mr. Tata to have faith in the West Bengal government, but they said that time was running out for them for an international project such as this. “However, they assured us that they would not fight shy of West Bengal as regards their future plans,” he said.

“We too hoped that an international project like the Nano project will be set up in West Bengal. But now that would no longer be the case. This would have been a cluster of industries with some 55 to 60 component manufacturers with considerable employment potential. This pull-out jeopardises the possibility of any auto industry coming to the State,” he said.

No return of land

He said the government would try to facilitate the setting up of some industrial project on the land at Singur since acquired land could not be returned.

However, residents of Singur, on hearing the news, said that if the Tatas could not set up their project, they would resist any attempt of another industry being set up on that land.