Tata firm on stand

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, Sept. 8: It will be 997.11 acres or nothing. Expressing distress at what it termed "limited clarity" on the outcome of discussions between the state government and Miss Mamata Banerjee, Tata Motors today said suspension of work at its plant in Singur would continue, and plans to relocate the manufacture of Nano were being pursued. The company made it clear that in its view there had been no change in the position since its announcement of 2 September when it had said it was evaluating alternative options for manufacturing the Nano at other company facilities and had taken up a detailed plan to relocate plant and machinery from Singur.In spite of a pointed question put to it by The Statesman, the company refused to say if it had today informed the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation of its decision to pull out of the state. Reliable sources though had told this newspaper that a top functionary of Tata Motors had today informed the WBIDC of its decision to leave West Bengal. But it said, "Tata Motors have been consistent on their requirement of 997.11 acres of land which is essential for cost optimisation and viability of Nano project in Singur."In a statement issued early today, the company said: "Tata Motors Ltd. is distressed at the limited clarity on the outcome of the discussions between the Government of West Bengal and the representatives of the agitators in Singur. In view of the same, Tata Motors is obliged to continue the suspension of construction and commissioning work at the Nano plant. We will review our stated position only if we are satisfied that the viability of the project is not being impinged, the integral nature of the mother plant and our ancillary units are being maintained and all stakeholders are committed to develop a long term congenial environment for smooth operations of the plant in Singur."In response to this statement, The Statesman e-mailed some questions to Tata Motors. These were: Is it true that the Managing Director of Tata Motors has today informed WBIDC that Tatas are pulling out of Singur? Further to the Press statement issued by you, please explain what you mean by “limited clarity” on the outcome of discussions between the Government of West Bengal and the agitators in Singur? Were Tatas invited to join the discussions convened by the Governor of West Bengal? Did the state government take you into confidence before committing itself to a position in the talks? Was there no contact between representatives of the state government and Tata Motors during the course of the talks? By stating that the “integral nature of the mother plant and our ancillary units” should be maintained, are you indicating that no portion of the land allotted for the project can be returned to farmers?The company pointedly refused to answer these questions. Instead, it sent a brief response, stating: “We have already issued this morning Tata Motors’ statement which is self-explanatory. You may also refer to the statement issued by Tata Motors last week, which is attached again for your ready reference. The stand taken by TML remains unchanged. Tata Motors have been consistent on their requirement of 997.11 acres of land which is essential for cost optimisation and viability of Nano project in Singur.” The decision of Tata Motors to continue suspension of work in the Nano factory has hurt local youths who were working in the project as contract labourers. Meanwhile, CPI-M supporters today took out a rally demanding that work should be resumed immediately.(END) Source: The Statesman