Given the continual unfortunate conditions, Tata Motors has finally decided totake the hard decision of moving the project out of the State. In doing so, the company recognizes all the cooperation it has received from the State Government and states categorically that the NANO project having to be moved from West Bengal is entirely due to the continued agitative actions by the opposition party led by Mamata Banerjee with total disregard for the rule of law.
In a meeting held with the chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and minister in charge, Department of Commerce & Industries, Nirupam Sen, Ratan N. Tata, chairman, Tata Sons & Tata Motors and Ravi Kant, managing director, Tata Motors, expressed their extreme anguish at the heightened level of agitation and hostility by the opposition parties led by Mamata Banerjee, resulting in a concern for the physical security of their staff, contractors and vendors. Threats, intimidation and instances of assault and general obstruction in one form or the other have been the order of the day.
Both Tata and Ravi Kant reiterated their faith in the state government`s policies and expressed their regret that these unfortunate circumstances had prevented Tata Motors` participation in the development of West Bengal. They hoped that West Bengal would grow and share in the prosperity and growth of India.
Earlier, Karnataka had offered 1,000 acres of land to the company. The chairman of Tata Group, Ratan Tata and West Bengal chief minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharjee were to meet on Oct. 3, 2008 to decide the final fate of the Nano saga, the production of which was halted at Singur since Aug. 28, 2008.
The West Bengal Chief Minister had then assured that the state would extend all help needed for resumption of work at Singur.
West Bengal government was ready to concede only 70 acres provided the Tata`s din`t disturb the integrated land pattern of the project. However Trinamool Congress demanded Tata`s to return 400 acres from the 1,000-acre project site to `unwilling` farmers.
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