Land for Pantnagar plant has come from govt: Tata Motors

NEW DELHI: Country's leading car maker Tata Motors on Saturday said that the Uttarakhand government had given its own 1,000 acre land to the company, on which it has already set up manufacturing facilities along with that of vendors. Reacting to reports that a group of farmers was planning agitation if more land is given to the company in case it sets up Nano car project, which is facing uncertainty in West Bengal, a Tata Motors spokesperson said : "All our land has come from the government and the plant exist on the government land." A group of farmers in Uttarakhand's Pantnagar area, under the banner of 'Kisan Kisani Abhiyan', had taken up cudgels against the state government's purported plan to allot more land to the company with its leader Hanif Gandhi threatening an agitation. The government had agreed to offer 1,100 acre of land in the area, of which the company has already set up a mother plant and vendor park on 1,000 acres. The government is yet to give the rest 100 acre for setting up residential colonies, the spokesperson said. He said that since no part of the land for the existing facilities, from where its rolling out commercial vehicle Ace, has come from the farmers and hence there is no ground for any agitation. On whether the company had decided to shift the Nano project from West Bengal to Uttarakhand, he said that the company had earlier said in a statement that it could explore options at other existing facilities.

No proposal from Tata for Nano roll out so far: Uttarakhand CM

28 Sep, 2008, 1206 hrs IST, PTI

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri has said the government has not yet received any proposal from the Tatas to roll out Nano from the state. The CM's statement comes in the wake of speculation that the company might shift production of the world's cheapest car to the state following the stalemate in Singur. If the company proposes for to roll out the Nano from Uttarakhand, the state government would provide necessary facilities, Khanduri said. Tata Motors officials who visited the state on September 25 to settle issues related to its Pantnagar plant, told the government the company had not yet taken any decision on Nano production from there. Earlier, Tata Motors, reacting to reports that a group of farmers was planning agitation if more land is given to the company in case it sets up Nano car project, said : "All our land has come from the government and the plant exists on the government land." A group of farmers in Uttarakhand's Pantnagar area, under the banner of 'Kisan Kisani Abhiyan', had taken up cudgels against the state government's purported plan to allot more land to the company with its leader Hanif Gandhi threatening an agitation. The government had agreed to offer 1,100 acre of land in the area, of which the company has already set up a mother plant and vendor park on 1,000 acres. The state has already allotted 56 acres of the 100 acres additional land sought by Tata for residential purposes. On whether the company had decided to shift the Nano project from West Bengal to Uttarakhand, he said that the company had earlier said in a statement that it could explore options at other existing facilities.