Tata Motors on Tuesday indefinitely suspended work at its Nano plant in Singur and said the company was working out a plan to relocate.
Says constant intimidation of workforce makes it impossible to continue at Singur
KOLKATA: Tata Motors on Tuesday indefinitely suspended work at its Nano plant in Singur and said the company was working out a plan to relocate even as protesters, led by the Trinamool Congress, continued their agitation against the world’s cheapest car facility.
Ratan Tata had warned the West Bengal government of the inevitable two weeks ago but it didn’t bring about any solution to the Singur deadlock. And with no work possible at the Nano plant since last Thursday, Tata Motors said it was looking for an alternative site for its small car plant.
“In view of the current situation, the company is evaluating alternate [sic] options for manufacturing the Nano car at other company facilities and a detailed plan to relocate the plant and machinery to an alternate [sic] site is under preparation,” a Tata Motors statement mailed to the media on Tuesday evening read.
“To minimise the impact, it may have on the recently recruited and trained people from West Bengal, the company is exploring the possibility of absorbing them at its other plant locations,” the company statement said.
The announcement immediately evoked severe criticism of the Trinamool Congress from within and outside the state and party chief Mamata Banerjee went on the defensive. “The decision to suspend work at the plant was Tatas’ own. We have not obstructed anyone. We cannot do anything if workers do not turn up for work,” she told reporters.
The Tata statement came even as chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee met governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who had volunteered to mediate personally to break the Singur deadlock.
Tata Motors said the decision to suspend the construction and commissioning work at the Nano plant was taken to ensure the safety of its employees in view of their continuous intimidation by protesters.
“Some of the international consultants working on the plant have returned home and the construction work in the plant has been stalled since August 28,” the statement said.
“In fact, the existing environment of obstruction, intimidation and confrontation has begun to impact the ability of the company to convince several of its experienced managers to relocate and work in the plant,” the statement said.
It said that several workers who had taken accommodation at Singur and nearby areas had gone away due to intimidation and fear.
“There is no way this plant could operate efficiently unless the environment became congenial and supportive of the project. We came to West Bengal hoping we could add value, prosperity and create job opportunities in the communities in the state,” a Tata Motors spokesperson in Kolkata said.
Reacting to the announcement, state industry and commerce minister Nirupam Sen said it was an unfortunate day for West Bengal. “I never imagined that the opposition forces will go to such an extent so that the [Tata] management is forced to take such a decision,” Sen said.
Asked whether he still had hopes to get Tata Motors back at Singur, Sen said: “The opposition [Trinamool Congress] should behave much more responsibly and immediately come for a discussion. They must remember that West Bengal is not the only option for Tata Motors. They have other alternatives.”
The Tatas threat comes at a time when a number of states, including Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarakhand, are wooing them to set up the world’s cheapest car plant.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}