Singur to start ’satyagraha’ from Friday against Nano exit

October 9th, 2008 - 8:04 pm

Kolkata, Oct 9 (IANS) : People in West Bengal’s Singur along with syndicate members who supplied materials for building the plant for the world’s most inexpensive car Nano, will start a ’satyagraha’ (sit-in) movement near the factory site from Friday, a syndicate member said Thursday.”We are part of the Nano Bachao Committee (Save Nano Committee), which is an apolitical platform for the common people of Singur, syndicate members, people who had given their land willingly for the Nano project and people who were trained to get jobs in the factory,” 41-year-old Kushal Saha, a resident of Beraberi in Singur, who heads one of the syndicates, told IANS.

Altogether the syndicates have around 300 members.

The satyagraha will begin demanding that the Nano project once again start in Singur. “The people who had given land willingly for the Nano project, want to see that their land is well utilised,” Saha said.

“In the last two years, we have seen socio-economic upliftment of Singur, surrounding the Nano plant. But this rural development completely stopped with the pull-out of the project,” he added.
Global auto major Tata Motors Oct 3 announced it was pulling out its Nano project from the troubled Singur in West Bengal, and blamed the principal opposition Trinamool Congress for the “painful” decision.

The auto major’s decision came 32 days after it decided to suspend operations in the Singur factory fearing for security of its employees who were manhandled and threatened by Trinamool Congress-led protesters, demanding the return of 400 acres out of the total 997.11 acres taken for the project.

Since its inception in May 2006, the project to roll out the Rs.100,000 ($2,250) car, encountered resistance from the Trinamool Congress-led farmers, protesting against the “illegal” acquisition of farmland.

“We are starting the movement with the prior permission of the police,” Saha confirmed.

These people are also looking forward to meet the governor of the state and members from the state’s administration to discuss whether any sort of industrialisation is possible in that (the land meant for Nano project) abandoned land in Singur.

Tata Motors has relocated Nano to Sanand in Gujarat.

Bengal not a closed chapter: Ratan Tata

8 Oct 2008, 0700 hrs IST,

Arindam Sen Gupta & Bharat Desai,TNN

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata had just flown into Ahmedabad from Mumbai and checked into his hotel. He looked like a man wanting to put behind a troubled past as he strode in with a sense of new purpose. Minutes after he had settled in, he called TOI for this interview. And broke the news an hour before the formal announcement — his dream project, Nano, will take shape in Gujarat.

Excerpts:

TOI: It must be a relief for you that you have finally found a place for your plant.

Tata: It is not a sense of relief but satisfaction — that it is all settled, that we are not orphans looking for a home. I think it's a continuing process. We left one place and have come to another. But we will look forward to the new location with a great deal of enthusiasm because, hopefully, we will have an environment where we can do what we set out to do, which is, not just manufacture a car but be a good corporate citizen in the process.

TOI: Far from your project being an orphan without a home, states were falling over each other to offer you great villas. What was special about Gujarat's offer? What clinched it for the state?

Tata: I think what made a difference was the fact that Gujarat has been able to define the land and give us the possession. Land is the main thing that takes much time. Gujarat has done it in an unbelievably fast manner and given all approvals and permissions with great speed. You know if it were possible to transport or move the plant in a day we could have been in business the next day at this location in Gujarat. But we are not dealing with something that can be moved in a day.

TOI: How long it has taken to seal the deal? Tata: I was not directly involved in the process. We will have to ask Ravi Kant (Tata Motors MD).

Ravi Kant: It took a few days.

TOI: What would a few days mean?

Ravi Kant: I would say about 10 days.

TOI: When did you finally decide that it would be Gujarat?

Tata: We finally decided last night. Let me say the entire process started when problems started growing in Singur. We had offer letters from many CMs who knew that we had problems in West Bengal. As soon as we made the announcement, I guess it was on August 22 when I made the announcement that we would move if the situation did not improve, we had letters from four or five states and we responded to each of the letters. I think most of us were travelling at that time. When we came back, we started picking up the letters and actually talking to the states about land — land being the main issue. And so I think probably some time in September, we started looking at land, studying what these states had to offer etc. Indeed, we had to look for an insurance policy. It was not an emergency from our side until it came very close to saying we were going to move from Singur. And then it became very urgent to settle something else fast. Ravi has been running around from one state to another. It was important that one team travelled from one state to another so that they can compare. The chief minister of Gujarat moved very fast. Gujarat enjoys the reputation of being an investor-friendly state. So we decided this was really the place where we have everything in order. With all other states, despite all their good intentions, there were many things yet to be settled. So we decided to move forward with Gujarat and everything was put in proper place.

TOI: Will the Sanand plant be the mother plant?

Tata: Yes, this is the mother plant.

TOI: At the last Vibrant Gujarat summit in 2007, you said "You are stupid if you are not in Gujarat". What took you so long to come here?

Tata: We were in Gujarat even at that time as we have Tata Chemicals here. But we didn't talk of this project at that time, although I think Mr Modi told me jokingly, "You are having trouble there. You come here and I will give you everything." Now, we are here, as luck would have it.

TOI: Will you be able to deliver the Nano on time despite the Singur setback? Will the initial production of the car come from your plants at Pune and Pantnagar?

Tata: Yes. We already have a makeshift operation in place. It is important to tell the world that in spite of all that has happened we will bring out the Nano within the same window (the last quarter of this year).

TOI: What made you go to West Bengal in the first place? Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee?

Tata: Did you say Mamata? (Laughs) Yes, it was Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. I have known him literally from the day he took over as chief minister from Jyoti Basu. We were at that time with the Haldia Petrochemicals Complex and because we had a problem, not with the state government, but with Purnendu Sen, we withdrew. At that time, I met Mr Bhattacharjee and was extremely impressed with his sincerity. And that sincerity has been there throughout. He told me that I should not withdraw and I told him we must but we would come back with a bigger investment to West Bengal because I believe he was doing the right thing. Then one day when we were inaugurating the cancer hospital in Kolkata he said why don't you bring your automotive project to West Bengal. I told him the incentives you have will not match with what other states are offering. And both he and Nirupam Sen (industry minister) set themselves the task of meeting what was needed. To be honest, he first offered us land at Kharagpur. But then that was far from Kolkata. I told him that if we wanted the project to be showcased to the world as a world-class enterprise, we should have it at a location where we could bring in our best people, give them the best schools, best colleges etc. In deference to my wish, he showed several plots out of which we found Singur most suitable. Unfortunately, what followed was something unexpected while we had something wonderful going. It would have brought investments to a part of a country which has been neglected. It was a forerunner of future investments in that part of the country.

TOI: What is the loss to the Nano project because of time overrun?

Tata: First of all, all the equipment will come good. So there is no loss on equipment. One may ask what have you left behind and how much of it is totally wasted. You can retrieve a fair amount of the fixed assets that you may have and relocate it. It is our view that in terms of the current year we will not have to reflect any appreciable loss in our books. We have also not discussed with the state government what we would do with the land because its still leased to us. The state government wants us to look at other projects, which we have agreed to do. We just said that we will do it if the environment is conducive, otherwise we will not. So it's not that we have walked out of West Bengal and left a crater or a barren piece of land behind.

TOI: Gujarat has not been known to offer special incentives to industry. What was your experience?

Tata: I think as far as we are concerned whatever we needed and were getting in West Bengal, it has been matched here. We are very pleased with the package and the speed with which, more than anything else, the package has been finalized.

TOI: You are embarking on this project at a time when there is a global economic downturn. There is a liquidity crunch in the country too. What is your outlook regarding the global slowdown? How long do you think it will last?

Tata: The global slowdown is affecting ... . It is percolating like a coffee machine down to industries that were not directly involved in the crisis. We ourselves here are facing a downtrend because of a tightness of credit. If it opens up, as there are some signs of doing, I think we will see some recovery. But the US and Europe are still reeling under writeoffs and writedowns and defaults, which is creating a kind of domino effect in other industries. And nobody seems to know where or when it will bottom out.

TOI: Would you have an assessment of how long the slowdown might continue in India?

Tata: No, I am not any more qualified than some others, although I think nobody knows how long it would be to bottom out.

TOI: From Bengal to Gujarat, it's the same country and two very different stories. What lessons do you draw as a senior business leader?

Tata: I don't know how much problem that we faced was really that of the famers. I would just say that political opposition and political aspiration should always be subordinated to the better welfare of the country or the state. I don't know who would be the losers. You have talked about ourselves being one of the losers in the sense of losses owing to time overruns. But I wonder what we have left behind. I am sure West Bengal can attract other investments and will attract other investments and we will be as supportive as we can in attracting new investments. But what about the people who had aspirations for jobs? The people who have made this issue of land-for-land — will they prosper? Has anything been done to increase their yeilds, their income levels? Many of them are below subsistence levels — they say so themselves. On the one hand, they talk of drinking their money away or not having money, and on the other hand, they talk of having their land back. I mean are we doing anything to improve their lot? These are the questions that come to my mind. So, political opposition should hold the country first and not themselves. That's all I am saying.

TOI: Mr Tata, thank you.

Buddha confident of Bengal's industrialisation

One battle lost, not the war: Buddha on Nano

Kolkata, Oct 5 (IANS): Dubbing his state’s opposition parties as “irresponsible” for their actions that prompted Tata Motors to pull out from Singur, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Sunday exuded confidence that the state might have lost one battle, but not the war.

“Unfortunately, the state has a very irresponsible opposition. But I believe one battle is lost, but the war is not lost. We must fight,” Bhattacharjee said in his first public comment after Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata Friday announced the withdrawal of the Nano project that has thrown into uncertainty the state’s future on the industrial front.

Bhattacharjee, however, said the majority of the people were “right thinking” and were not happy over the small car project moving out of the state.

“Majority of the people in the state are right thinking. And they know what should be our future. They are not happy because just before the (Durga Puja) festival, Tata Motors has withdrawn their Nano project,” Bhattacharjee said.

“And we want to go about with our heads held high once again.”

But he conceded that the automobile major’s decision had sent a “serious message” about the state across the country.

“A serious message has gone all over India - what is happening in West Bengal?” he asked at the foundation stone laying ceremony of a technology-centric special economic zone (SEZ) here.

Referring to the Trinamool Congress-led opposition, whose sustained and often-violent agitation forced Tata Motors to wind up its plant in Singur, the chief minister said it had failed to understand the importance of industrialisation.

“Why is the opposition failing to understand the importance of industrialisation?” he asked.

Bhattacharjee reiterated that though West Bengal ranked best in the country in agriculture, the state’s economy needed industry for further growth.

“Our agricultural scenario is the best in the country. Agricultural growth rate is the highest in India. After our success in agriculture, we our trying to bring in industrialisation in the state”.

He said economy could not depend on agriculture only, and that the youth of the state wanted industry and business.

Bhattacharjee came out in support of globalisation, but said developing countries needed a level playing field.

“In this competitive world, globalisation is a must. You cannot stop it. The only point we are trying to make is that developing countries should get a level playing ground.”

“Without that globalisation is not possible, as it will be one-sided and the developed countries will benefit at the cost of developing countries,” he said.

The chief minister said the central government was doing its best to improve the country’s growth rate.

The chief minister Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Orion Techcity, a 155-acre commercial and integrated SEZ, to come up at Rajarhat, northeast of the city. It is expected to attract around $1.2 billion in investments, staggered over a 10-year period.

The first phase is slated to be completed by 2011.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, also present at the function, said India has set an export target of Rs.1,250 billion from SEZs this year. Earnings from SEZs stood at Rs.660 billion last year.

He said that altogether 250,000 jobs have been created in various SEZs.

Mukherjee and Japanese ambassador Hideaki Domichi also laid the foundation stone for a 25-acre ‘Japan village’ that will serve as a self-sufficient ‘Zen Paradise’.

Kolkata (PTI): Breaking his silence since the pull-out of the Nano project from Singur, West Bengal Chief Minister on Sunday said no right-thinking person of the state had been happy with the irresponsible behaviour of the Opposition, but maintained that industrialisation process will go ahead.

"No right-thinking people are happy with the withdrawal of the Nano project just ahead of the Durga Puja festival." However, Ratan Tata had said that he was not leaving forever and he would invest in the state in future, Bhattacharjee said.

"We have lost one battle, but the war is not lost. We must fight and overcome the obstacles for going ahead. We want to raise our head again," Bhattacharjee, who had taken a keen interest to bring the Nano project in the state, said after laying the foundation stone for Orion Techcity, a 155-acre integrated IT SEZ at Rajarhat here. The Chief Minister wondered why the Opposition failed to understand the need for industrialisation in the state.

"They give importance to agriculture. We also give importance to agriculture in which the state has been self-sufficient. But only agriculture will not help us for further progress, it needs industrialisation for total development," he said.

Bhattacharjee regretted the loss of job opportunities for the young people who hoped for a bright future.

Tata pullout: History sent on back foot, says Nirupam Sen

New Delhi, October 5, 2008

West Bengal Industries Minister and CPI(M) politburo member Nirupam Sen has said that the events that led to the pullout of Tata Nano project have harmed the prospects of industrialisation in the state and the hurt shall be felt more on the younger generation of the state.

“It has also left bleeding in its wake the prospects of industrial investment in the state. Hurt shall be felt amongst the younger generation amongst whom the Singur project was a beacon of hope,” says Sen in an article to be published in the on-coming issue of People’s Democracy. “Nevertheless, not all this shall ever signify that the industrialists concerned with ongoing and future projects shall all go away from this state. The process of industrialisation in Bengal on a sound and expanding agrarian base is important and emergent. We shall have to traverse along this path,” he adds.

Following are excerpts from the article: The people of the country, of Bengal, and of Singur may legitimately pose the question as to what made the Tata's wind up the small car project at Singur when more than 85% of work has been completed. A run of devastation called an 'agitation,' has had a temporary triumph. It has wounded the both the prospects of industrial investment in the state and the process of industrialisation. Again, we call this a temporary phenomenon. The majority of the people of the state - indeed, an overwhelming majority - had wanted from the core of their heart that the Singur project must become a reality.

Following the meeting that Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and I had with Shri Ratan Tata, the expectation of the people has perhaps touched rock-bottom. Only history will tell in the months and years to come what would the losses entail to no less than eight crore of men and women of the state. History was sent on the backfoot on 3 October 2008 when at the end of the meeting Shri Tata addressed the media that the small car project would now be shifted away from Singur because 'there is no there alternative,' now more than ever, what with the clear 'responsibility devolving on the so-called 'agitation' of the Trinamul Congress.'

The project to which the people of the sate had looked with so much of fond expectation for a period of two-and-a-half years saw the shutters come down at last. The people of the state would not be witness to the turning back of the wheel of history - the people of Bengal know how to face contingencies of whatever kind. The project, it is now clear has been shifted away from Singur simply and only because of destructive, irresponsible acts of violence by the main opposition party in Bengal and some its cohort outfits.

The vast majority of the people Singur, indeed of Bengal do not support in any manner the pattern of behaviour of these political outfits. They wanted the project to see the light of the day. They stood to lose out the most. The extent of loss will be something that will be felt in full measure in the days ahead. However, we have not an iota of doubt in our hearts-and-minds that the negative 'agitationsists' movement shall be met politically. People must come forward. The campaign-movement that would soon unfurl across the state and in the country must be conducted amidst the people, with the people.

Let me say that we do not support the decision that the Tata's have chosen to take. Yet, we are aware that there is a timeframe fixed for the production of the small car. Things were already running behind schedule because of various factors. Tata's have clearly pointed out that they do want production to go on under Police protection. They wanted a peaceful ambience. They looked to safety and security for the guards they had employed. These expectations were quite in the order of things. The state government had made ample arrangements to look after security.

However, the stat government, at the same time, did not want any happenings to take place that would open the portals for violent deeds to take place. The opposition wanted exactly this to happen: let blood be shed. The blood letting they would utilise shamelessly to widen their kind of politics. The state government would not afford them this heinous opportunity. The opposition had promised that their agitation would remain peaceful. They did not keep the pledge. Some may view the behaviour of endurance on them part of the state government as weakness. Our principle was that we did not want to have any unpleasant incident on our hands. Those who created the violence that wrote the finish to the Singur project for the time being should do a bit of self-search to seek how much of good their deeds have done to the people of Bengal.

On the issue of returning the acquired land, we hold that there is no such proviso in the Indian Constitution. The present owner of the land is the state government. There is no legal proviso by which one can return the land to the farmers or to the previous owners. There is really no need now more than ever to enter into any dialogue with the opposition any longer. The court of law shall hold into the cheques of those who had not accepted them for whatever reason.

If somebody asks of us that we should have entered into discussion with the opposition earlier, our counter-query would be what timeframe are we talking about? Can anyone name just single project where the principal opposition party have come forward on to the table for discussion? There politics is that they will never allow any good to happen to Bengal. The picture is the same whether the project is a roads project or a project for generation of electricity.

We are right amidst the festival season and this is the time when we are faced with a sad and tragic event. The youth must be bitterly disappointed. We could not think that the main opposition party would play at such sectarian, such destructive politics. It is their role, let no one be mistaken, that has prevented the Singur project from going becoming viable and vibrant.

Tata to move car plant from West Bengal

October 3rd, 2008 - 10:09 pm

Kolkata, Oct 3 (IANS): The inevitable has happened. Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata Friday announced that the company was taking its Nano small car project out of Communist-ruled West Bengal due to continuing political opposition.”This is a decision that we have taken with great deal of sadness,” Tata group chairman Ratan Tata told reporters here, after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

“We’ve taken this decision today because we’ve a timeline to meet and assurances to keep. We did not see any change on the horizon,” said the chairman of the $62 billion group, the largest in the country’s private sector.

He said he was feeling all the more sad in announcing the decision at a time when the state was gearing up to celebrate its most important festival, Durga Puja, over the weekend.

“It is an extremely sad decision, which has shattered many dreams. But it’s a great feeling at the same time because we are doing the right thing - because there is no other option,” he said.

He, however, did not divulge from where the group now intended to roll out Nano, even as Gujarat joined other states like Haryana, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in rolling out the red carpet to host the prestigious project for the world’s most inexpensive car priced at Rs.100,000 ($2,200).

Tata was also critical of Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress led the protests since the project was announced May 18, 2006 saying some 400 acres of the farmland given for the project was forcibly acquired.

The state government had acquired 997.11 acres of land for the project and its ancillary units. The project, into which the Tatas had already pumped in Rs.15 billion, was nearing completion at Singur, a 75-minute drive from here.

“Two years ago, I mentioned that if you put a gun to my head, either you pull the trigger, or you pull away the gun. I will not move my head. I think, Ms. Bannerjee has pulled the trigger,” he said.

“We were open to dialogue and as long as human approach was taken, but agitation and Ms. Bannerjee’s statement that people of Singur do not want you here did create a hostile environment.”

Tata said he sincerely believed that the land transaction was not only legal and transparent, but also that the compensation was adequate.

“The fact that the agitations happened is unfortunate,” he said, adding: “We believe we were caught in a political crossfire.”

Earlier, Tata, along with Tata Motors Managing director Ravi Kant, expressed their anguish at the heightened agitation and hostility by the opposition that raised concern over the 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,” the company said in a statement.

Tata to move car plant from West Bengal

By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi
Published: October 3 2008 15:39

FINANCIAL TIMES

India’s Tata Motors on Friday said it was withdrawing its ground-breaking low-cost Nano car project from the state of West Bengal, after more than a month of violent protests by local farmers brought construction to a halt.

The decision by Ratan Tata – one of India’s most respected industrialists – to relocate the car factory comes as the greenfield plant was nearly 85 per cent complete, and as the group neared its self-imposed deadline of October for rolling out the car.

It comes after weeks of intensive negotiations between Tata, West Bengal’s Communist government and the state’s feisty opposition leader, and highlights the difficulties companies can face in acquiring land in India for industrial development.

The protests by the farmers – who claimed they had been forced to give up their land and had not received sufficient compensation – were stoked by West Bengal’s opposition leader, Mamata Banerjee, who has battled for years against the state’s elected Communist government.

“It is an extremely painful decision – a decision that shatters many dreams that many of us had, and a great disappointment to the people who have worked on the project on the ground,” a shattered-looking Mr Tata announced at a press conference. “But there is also a feeling that we are doing the right thing because there is no other option.”

The decision is also a severe blow to the state of West Bengal, whose authorities have been struggling to attract industrial investment and had hoped that the Nano project would serve as an anchor for a new automotive industry that would have generated thousands of jobs.

Kapil Sibal, India’s science and technology minister, lamented on Indian television that “politics has triumphed over development”.

The Nano has been billed as a car for the common man, which will initially be priced at Rs100,000 ($2,100). Tata Motors, one of India’s top vehicle makers, initially planned to produce 250,000 cars a year, but projected that demand could eventually rise to 1m vehicles a year.

Mr Tata said the company had not yet decided where it would relocate the project, but had received offers from numerous states, all keen for the economic boost the plant would bring.

Hope for Singur project as Tata meets Bengal CM today

3 Oct 2008, 1039 hrs IST,TNN

KOLKATA: Will he or won’t he? None other than Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has the answer to this month-long guessing game that has kept the government and ancillary units on tenterhooks since Tata Motors suspended operations at the Nano factory in Singur on September 2.

All eyes are now fixed on the one-on-one meeting between Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Tata, who is coming to Writers’ Buildings on Friday. Everyone is expecting a positive answer . Tata’s reply to the CM’s letter and his coming down to Kolkata have raised hopes both here and in Singur. “We want the factory to come up. An assurance from the Tatas would be the best Puja gift for us,” said Prodyut Das of Uttar Bajemelia village in Singur.

Even former India skipper and Tata employee Sourav Ganguly has written to his employer to stay on in Singur. On the eve of this crucial meeting, the chief minister had a talk with all members of the CPM state secretariat at Alimuddin Street to find ways to address Tata’s worries, especially his concern regarding the safety and security of his employees.

The CM has already written to the Tata Group chairman, promising all help, including security at the Nano plant. But more importantly, when he meets Tata on Friday, Bhattacharjee will also convey the feelings of the people at large, and a large section of the farmers in Singur who want the Nano factory to come up. The CM will request Tata to honour the people’s urge that has been expressed from time to time. Politicians have had their day.

From Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the CM and even rabble-rouser Mamata Banerjee, everyone wants the Tatas to stay in West Bengal. The PM has said there is still hope for a resolution and Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi said on Thursday that West Bengal “deserved a solution” to the Singur impasse. But none of them has been able to work out a tangible formula to make the industrialist stay as “a good corporate citizen of West Bengal”.

The political scene has not improved even after the chief minister called an all-party meeting. Mamata stayed away from it. And, Congress did a volte-face at the meeting when its representative Subrata Mukherjee endorsed Trinamool’s land-for-land demand and also wanted the Tatas to consider shifting the vendor park out of the Nano project compound. The Tatas — and the government — insist that the park is integral to the Nano plan. “Vendors took the land on lease as we did. They are part of the composite Nano plan. The plan has been so chalked out to keep the pricing low. They will employ large numbers of people. More investments will follow in terms of tier II, tier III segments,” Tata had said during his last visit to the city. He said he wouldn’t compromise with the “safety and security of Tata Motors employees, equipment and the viability of the project” and refused to resume operations under police protection.

Tata Motors officials have their own assessment of the Singur situation, an exercise they began after the ruling CPM was routed in the panchayat election in Singur. Since then, they are keeping a close watch on the daily developments without banking on government feedback alone.

ACADEMICIANS APPEAL TO RATAN TATA



October 3, 2008
Dear Mr R N Tata,

We welcome you in Kolkata.

Through the 1980s and 1990s our State has achieved significant successes in agricultural production and the development of its rural economy. This decade, we wished to extend that success to the industrial sector, with the firm belief that industrialization is essential for large scale employment generation.

We were happy when large industrial houses began showing interest in investing in the State and participating in the State's industrial resurgence. We were most delighted with your choice of West Bengal for locating the mother plant for manufacturing the highly innovative low-cost Nano. We believe that the automobile industry contributes not only to direct growth but also acts as a catalyst for several other sectors of manufacturing, supply chain and services.

At the initial stage, there have been some problems in acquiring land for the Nano plant. This is perhaps not unusual in our country. West Bengal's pressure on land makes the issue more acute. The democratic traditions of the people of the state also makes it imperative that no one, not even the minority, suffer from the acquisition and conversion of land use from agricultural to industrial. All affected people in the impacted communities have to be adequately compensated. We were relieved to note that the State Government is doing its best to overcome the innumerable hurdles while addressing the genuine concerns of the affected persons, including not only the owners of the land but all those whose livelihoods depended on it.

The motivation for this effort is the urgency with which all of us look forward to seeing this world-beating concept rolling out on the roads.

Unfortunately, over the last few months, in the name of upholding the interests of a section of the local population, some of our own people have been misguided to create a situation where your workers, officers and engineers may have been physically obstructed from carrying out their duties. We are deeply saddened to learn from media reports that, as a consequence, you are considering an option of relocating the factory to some other state.

Mr Tata, you are the best judge to decide which option is in the best interests of your company and its share-holders. However, we would request you to give due considerations to the very widespread sentiments in the State before you take a final decision.

We believe that the majority of our people are dismayed at the turn of events. The unfortunate incidents at the factory gate are quite irresponsible and without consideration for the larger good.

If the Nano mother plant is shifted from West Bengal due to these incidents, it will definitely cause immense harm to the long-term interests of the state.

The immediate losers will be the overwhelming majority of the land-owners who have voluntarily given their land and accepted the compensation, as also the countless many who have already got associated directly or indirectly with the project. We firmly believe that even the so-called "unwilling" farmers will suffer a great loss.

Moreover, such a step will send the very negative message to the entire country that in the name of upholding the interests of a section of land-losers, any developmental activity can be stalled by a group of people driven by narrow sectarian interests. We apprehend that any decision to relocate the Nano mother plant from Singur will encourage such people to continue and even spread their irresponsible activities.

The need of the hour is to create an environment where all political parties, the industry, the intelligentsia, workers and peasants can conduct a healthy debate towards formulating a comprehensive policy for land acquisition, agricultural or otherwise, for industrial development. Compensation packages have to ensure a better and equitable future for all those who are adversely impacted at the very beginning by the loss of land.

In view of your position and the prestige you enjoy as a leading industrialist of our country and one with a conscience, we hope you would give due consideration to our concerns and lend your weight to find a solution of the present impasse.

Thanking you,

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

1. Dr. Ramendra Kumar Poddar, Former V.C., Calcutta University
2. Prof. Rathindra Narayan Bassu, Former V.C., Calcutta University
3. Prof. Dipak Kumar Bagchi, Former V.C., Bidhan Ch. Krishi Viswavidyalaya
4. Prof. Pijush Kanti Saha, Former V.C., North Bengal University
5. Prof. Dilip K. Basu - Former V.C., Burdwan University
6. Prof. Amit Mallik - Former V.C., Burdwan University
7. Prof. Anandadeb Mukherjee - Former V.C. Vidyasagar University
8. Prof. P.N. Roy - Former Pro - V.C., Calcutta University
9. Shri B.K. Pal - Former Managing Director, WB Power Development Corp.
10. Shri Sailapati Gupta - Former Vice - Chairman, Hooghly River Bridge Corporation [HRBC]
11. Shri S.P. Ganchoudhury - Former Director, WB Renewable Energy Development Agency [WBREDA]


Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kharagpur:

12. Prof. T.K.Basu Head, Centre for Educational Technology, IIT Kharagpur
13. Prof. Navtej Singh Head Aeronautical Engg. , ,,
14. ,, Ajay Ray Head , School of Medical Science and Technology ,,
15. ,, Ajay Chakraborty Dean, Continuing Education Centre &
Head Electronics and Comm. Engg., IIT Kharagpur
16. ,, Tapas Bhattacharya Professor, Electrical Engg. ,,
17. ,, Gosaidas Ray ,, ,, ,,
18. ,, Alok Barua ,, ,, ,,
19. ,, Debapriya Das ,, ,, ,,
20.
21. ,, Chandan Chakraborty Assoc. Prof. ,, ,,
22. ,, Shouvik Bhattacharya ,, Mechanical Engg. ,,
23. ,, B. Maiti ,, Chairman , GATE ,,
24 ,, Prof. Mahitosh Mandal Assoc. Prof., Sch. of Med. Sc.&Tech. ,,
25. Dr. Chandan Chakraborty Asst.Prof. ,, ,,
26. Dr. Shantanu Dhara ,, ,, ,,
27. Dr. Analabha Mitra ,, ,, ,,
28. Dr. Soumen Das ,, ,, ,,
29. Prof. Indranil Manna Professor Metallurgy &Material Sc. ,,
30. Prof. Prashanta Kr. Mahapatra Head, Physics Deptt. Vidyasagar Univ.
31. Prof.Dulal C. Jana, Professor, ,, ,, ,,
32. Dr. P.Sanyal Astt. Prof. Geology &Geophysics Deptt. IIT Kharagpur
33. Dr. Anindya Sarkar ,, ,, ,,
34. Prof. N.Dhang Assoc. Prof. Civil Engg. Deptt. ,,
35. Dr. Bhargab Mitra ,, ,, ,, ,,
36. Dr. Indrajit Dube Astt. Prof. Rajiv Gandhi School of IP Law ,,
37. Dr. Dipa Dube ,, ,, ,,
38.Dr. P.K.Bhowmik ,, Rural Dev. Centre ,,
39.Prof. P.K.Dutta, Vice-Chairman , JEE, & Prof. El.Engg . Dept. ,,
40 Prof. P.K. Das Professor Mechanical Engg. ,,


IIT Bombay :

41. Prof Kl Deb kd@hss.iitb.ac.in,

42. Prof A Chowdhury Arindam@chem.iitb.ac.in,

43. Prof A Dutta Anindya@chem.iitb.ac.in

44. Prof B Badyopadhyay bijnan@cc.iitb.ac.in,

45. Prof G G Ray ggray@iitb.ac.in,

46. Prof K K SenGupta kali@cc.iitb.ac.in,

47. Prof S Biswas sb@cse.iitb.ac.in,

48. Prof S Chaudhuri sc@ee.iitb.ac.in

49. Prof S K Maiti skmaiti@me.iitb.ac.in,

50. Prof S N Datta sndatta@chem.iitb.ac.in,

51. Prof K Subiddhi subuddhi@hss.iitb.ac.in,

52. Prof B Ray aeroia@aero.iitb.ac.in, , aeroyia@aero.iitb.ac.in

Other institutions in Mumbai

53. Prof A Datta, D J Sanghvi College

54. Prof K S Ray, SNDT College

55. Prof A Ray, V G Vaze College,

56. Prof TMUKHOPADHYAY mukhopadhyay_tapati@rediffmail.com , Siddharth College

57. Prof P K Dasgupta pkd_1955@india.com , Siddharth College
58. Prof. Prashanta K. Mahapatra, HOD Physics, Vidyasagar Univ and
59. Prof. Dulal C. Jana, Professor Dept of Physics, Vidyasagar Univ
60. Prof. D. Das, Professor of Electrical Engg, IIT Kgp





Jadavpur University, Kolkata :

61. Manoj Kumar Mitra, Dean, Faculty of Engg. & Technology
62. Tapas Bhattacharya – Professor, Architecture
63. Somnath Ghosh – Professor, Civil Engg
64. Phalguni Bhattacharya - Professor, Civil Engg
65. Pinaki Bhattacharya - Professor, Chemical Engg
66. Nandini Mukherjee - Professor, Computer Science & Engg
67. Chandan Majumder - Professor, Computer Science & Engg
68. Ujjal Maulik - Professor, Computer Science & Engg
69. Keshab Bhattacharya - Professor, Electrical Engg
70. Samar Bhattacharya - Professor, Electrical Engg
71. Tapan Ghosal - Professor, Electrical Engg
72. Saswati Majumder - Professor, Electrical Engg
73. Sujit Biswas - Professor, Electrical Engg
74. Shibaji Chakraborty - Professor, Electrical Engg
75. Samir Saha - Professor, Mechanical Engg
76. Goutam Pohit - Professor, Mechanical Engg
77. Sankar Dhar - Professor, Mechanical Engg
78. Swarnendu Sen - Professor, Mechanical Engg
79. Siddhartha Mukherjee - Professor, Metallurgical Engg
80. Gopes Chandra Das - Professor, Metallurgical Engg
81. Prodyot Kumar Mitra - Professor, Metallurgical Engg
82. Amal Kumar Bandyopadhyay – Professor, Pharmaceutical Tech
83. Laksmi Kanta Ghosh - Professor, Pharmaceutical Tech
84. Hiranmoy Saha - Professor, Electronics & Tel. Comm Engg
85. Amitava Datta - Professor, Power Engg
86. Amitava Gupta - Professor, Power Engg
87. Niladri Chakraborty - Professor, Power Engg
88. Samiran Chattopadhyay - Professor, Information Tech
89. Subhas Bhattacharya – Dean, Faculty of Science
90. Nilanjana Gupta – Professor, English
91. Goutam Gupta – Professor, Economics
92. Parimal Debnath – Professor, Physical Education
93. Tridib Chakraborty – Professor, International Relations
94. Sanjay Mukhopadhyay – Professor, Film Studies
95. Partha Pratim Biswas – Professor, Construction Engg




University of Calcutta:

91. Dr. Gautam Ganguly, Head, Department of Physics
92. Dr. Anirban Kundu, Reader, Department of Physics
93. Prof. Uttam Bandyopadhyay, Dean, Faculty of Science
94. Prof. Bhaskar Chakrabarty, Department of History
95. Prof. Priyobrata Sarkar, Department of Polymer Science
96. Prof. Swapan Dutta, Department of Botany
97. Prof. P.K. Das Poddar, Department of Chemical Technology
98. Prof. Ajit Banik, Department of Chemical Engineering
99. Prof. Amal Bhattacharyya, Department of Chemistry
100. Prof. Shyamal Chakrabarty, Department of Chemistry
101. Prof. Pabitra Sarkar, Former V.C., Rabindra Bharati University

Sourav Ganguly appeals to Tata to produce Nano at Singur

Indo-Asian News Service
Kolkata, October 2, 2008

Former Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly, a local hero, on Thursday urged Tata group chief Ratan Tata not to shift the Nano factory out of West Bengal and instead ensure that the small car was produced at Singur."Sourav has written to Ratan Tata, urging him to see to it that the Nano rolled out of Singur," Ashok Bhattacharya, state minister for municipalities and urban affairs, said in Kolkata."Sourav told me he has written to Tata that the majority of people in Singur and the rest of the state were in favour of Tata Motors' Singur project. He has also mentioned the massive employment opportunities that the project will provide to the people of Singur and elsewhere," said Bhattacharya, known for his closeness to the cricketing icon.Ganguly's missive to Tata comes a day before the industrialist is to meet Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at the state secretariat in Kolkata in a last-ditch attempt to produce the car at the Singur factory, where the company suspended work exactly a month back - September 2 - fearing the safety of its workers.Ironically, it was on the same day - September 2 - that Ganguly had come out in support of the project calling upon people to stand up for the venture, saying it would "revolutionise the industrial prospects of West Bengal"."The starting of the Nano project will be the beginning of an era in West Bengal which will completely revolutionise the prospect of the state and the future of the youth," Ganguly, a Tata Steel employee, said in that statement.Originally scheduled to roll out the world's most inexpensive car this month, the project faces uncertainty with the company signalling it was considering a pull-out and talking to other state governments for an alternate location following intense protests by the state's main opposition Trinamool Congress.The protesters have demanded return of 400 acres to farmers who had to part with their land for the project against their will.An agreement between the state government and the protesters in the presence of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as also a compensation package announced by the chief minister have failed to resolve the deadlock.

Academicians urge Tatas to stay in West Bengal

Kolkata (PTI): Ahead of the crucial talks between Ratan Tata and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, eminent educationists here on Thursday requested the Tatas, who were exploring options for relocating the Singur factory, to stay in the state.

In a letter to Ratan Tata, they said that for the last few months, in the name of upholding the interest of a section of land-losers, "some people have created a situation where workers, officers and engineers at Singur project site were physically prevented from carrying out their duties."

"We have learnt that in view of the unfortunate developments, you are considering relocating your factory in some other state.

"You are the best judge to decide what is best for your company and its stakeholders. However, we would request you to give due consideration to our views before taking any decision," they said.

They said that the majority of the people would be dismayed if the Tata Motors factory at Singur is shifted out because of the "irresponsible" actions of some people.

It would harm long-term interests of the state and the land-owners who voluntarily accepted compensation and those directly associated with the small car project, they said.

The intelligentsia also said it would give a message to the country that in the name of upholding interests of a section of people, any development activity could be stalled by a few to fulfil their narrow political interests.

The signatories to the letter included former VC of Burdwan University Dilip Kumar Basu, former Pro VC of Calcutta University P N Roy, former VC of Vidyasagar University Anand Deb Mukherjee, head of CET, Kharagpur IIT, Prof Ajay Roy.

'It's still not too late for Singur settlement'

2 Oct, 2008, 0136 hrs IST, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who steered clear of blame game, said a solution to the Singur problem was in the interests of West Bengal and India. Mr Singh, who said that he did not want to apportion blame, said he believed that it was ‘not too late’ to find a negotiated settlement which would meet the concerns of agitating farmers as well as the investor, the Tatas. The Tatas, West Bengal government and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress are locked in a dispute over farmland acquisition that has led the industry group to consider moving out of the state. The work of the Nano project is suspended for nearly a month. The Centre, however, is yet to show any inclination to intervene in the dispute. With West Bengal-specific political calculations overtaking other concerns, the Congress ministers at the Centre as well as the party leadership are treating it an issue that has to be addressed by the West Bengal government. The Congress has also been blaming the CPM for the crisis at Singur. The party is also wary of openly backing the investor. Union information and broadcasting minister P R Dasmunsi had said that Tatas will have to make ‘some sacrifice’ in the interest of those who will lose land at Singur. “Tatas should also make some sacrifice. An industry cannot come up ignoring society. Industry cannot come up in a war-like situation. We will be sending our proposals to the Tatas day-after-tomorrow,” Dasmunshi had said on Tuesday. After a meeting with Ms Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday evening, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee had demanded central intervention in West Bengal under Article 355 of the Constitution for ‘protecting’ the interests of farmers there. “The Centre cannot keep mum.” It must intervene to protect the interests of farmers as well as that of the industry,” she had said. Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata is expected to hold talks with West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata on October 3 to discuss the fate of the company’s Nano car project. Mr Bhattacharjee has said that he will discuss with Ratan Tata ‘all aspects of the car project’.

All-party meeting on Singur today

Kolkata,30th September: The West Bengal government has convened an all-party meeting here on Tuesday to find ways torestore normality in Singur so that Tatas can resume work on the car project there.

The meeting, however, will not be attended by the State’s principal Opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, that has been spearheading an agitation demanding return of 400 acres of land [300 acres from within the site] acquired for the project to farmers who have not accepted compensation for their plots.

Call for consensus

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is keen that the major political parties in the State reach a consensus in support of the project at Singur prior to his meeting with Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group, the date for which is yet to be finalised.

There have been apprehensions of Tata Motors pulling out of Singur ever since work was suspended at the site on September 2 in view of continued confrontation and agitation by the Trinamool Congress and its allies.

The agitation was lifted after a meeting between the Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on September 7. But the latter has threatened to resume the agitation unless an agreement between her associates and the State government on the land issue is implemented.

On Monday, Ms. Banerjee ruled out her party’s participation in any all-party meeting that the government convenes till the latter decides to implement the agreement signed on September 7.
“If the agreement is operationalised, we have no problems sitting for talks on any technical matter but not on the question of the package [proposed by the State government for the rehabilitation of the affected farmers of Singur],” she said.

Congress to attend meet

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the Congress had decided to attend the meeting. It would have been better had the meeting been called before the process of land acquisition for the project started, Mr. Dasmunsi said.

The Hindu

Cong acts as shadow of Trinamool at all-party meet on Singur

30 Oct, 2008

KOLKATA: WEST Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s all out efforts to salvage Singur by garnering Congress support in the run-up to his crucial Friday meeting with Ratan Tata has suffered a jolt.

On Tuesday, the Congress state leadership declined to sign a resolution adopted during an all-party meeting urging the Tatas and their Nano vendors to resume work in Singur. Instead, the state Congress has backed Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s demand that the Buddadeb government first honour its Singur land return agreement of September 7. Significantly, Congress’s refusal to ink the all-party resolution came hours after the crucial meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee in Dehi on Tuesday afternoon.

Though the all-party meeting was convened by the chief minister to assess the Singur situation , frontline opposition parties — the Trinamool Congress and SUCI — boycotted it. But what surprised the chief minister and state is industry minister Nirupam Sen was the volte-face by the Congress. “The Tatas are coming here on Friday to hold talks with our government on their Nano project in Singur. I had convened the all-party meeting and all Left parties and even the BJP had supported our stand on Singur and even signed a resolution that was finalised after accommodating amendments given by nearly all political parties. But I note that the Congress letter drafted by Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi is nothing but a shadow of Trinamool Congress’ view on the Singur land issue,”

Mr Bhattacharjee told reporters after the all-party meeting on Tuesday. Interestingly, the Congress was represented by Subrata Mukherjee who had recently visited Singur to express his solidarity with Mamata Banerjee’s land agitation, along with Manas Bhunia, leader of the Congress Legislative Party and Shankar Singh, a party MLA from Nadia district. Congress spokesperson Mukherjee, however, told reporters that “the principal opposition party and the state government has signed an agreement and agreed to distribute land to the unwilling farmers from within the Nano factory premises. We want the government to implement the September 7 agreement and distribute land to the unwilling farmers if necessary by purchasing plots in the nearby locality. We have not given our consent to the resolution because the government has deviated from what it had promised on September 7 at the Raj Bhavan meeting.”

Asked to react on the Sonia-Mamata meeting, Mr Bhattacharjee said “I have no interest in what they have discussed.” About the refusal by the Congress to sign the resolution, Mr Bhattacharjee said, “I don’t know whose decision it is. I also don’t know whether this is Mr Dasmunsi’s personal opinion or it is the decision taken by the state Congress. But the party has refused to give its consent to our resolution for the time being, although I still believe good sense will prevail at their end shortly to support our government’s initiative.” The resolution adopted after the 90-minute meeting, however, requested the Tatas and its vendors to restart their work at Singur at the earliest. Political parties also urged the common people to create a peaceful and congenial atmosphere so that work at Singur can start without any delay.

West Bengal commerce & industries minister Nirupam Sen told later told reporters that a parliamentary standing committee will soon table before the Lok Sabha the bill promulgated by the Union government on rehabilitation and resettlements for the landlosers. “The compensation package we have given in case of Singur is better than what the Centre will announce for the land losers,” claimed the minister.

Mamata meets Sonia, demands use of Art 355 in W Bengal

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI): Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today met UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Singur issue and demanded central intervention in West Bengal under Article 355 of the Constitution to "protect" the interests of farmers there.

"The Centre cannot keep mum. It must intervene to protect the interests of farmers as well as that of the industry," she told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Gandhi here.Asked what kind of intervention she was seeking, Banerjee said "the state government cannot unilaterally reject an agreement reached in the presence of the Governor. ... There is constitutional sanctity to it (agreement). Therefore, it is better to use Article 355 against the state government."

Under Article 355, the Centre is duty bound to protect a state from either external aggression or internal disturbance or send a directive to fulfill constitutional duties.The Trinamool Congress chief, who was accompanied at the meeting by party's sole Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy and former MP Dinesh Trivedi, said she presented all documents relevant to the Tatas car project, including the copies of the agreement and several related letters, to Gandhi.

To a question whether it would serve the state's interests if the Tatas withdrew from the Nano project in Singur, Banerjee said "you are only interested in the Tatas and saying 'tata, bye-bye' to the people." "We are not against industries. Both industry and agriculture should flourish side by side and not grow at the cost of one another," she said. PTI

Leftfront approves conditional renewal of licence to Metro

Metro Bloc-ade lifted, licence by Oct 10
29 Sep 2008, 0311 hrs IST,TNN

KOLKATA: Left Front partner Forward Bloc on Sunday gave in to intense pressure from the rest of the allies, especially CPI(M), and agreed to renew the licence to wholesale major Metro Cash & Carry. The Bloc-controlled state agriculture marketing board will issue by October 10 the agriculture produce marketing committee (APMC) licence the German supply major needs to start operations at its new outlet on EM Bypass.

As a concession to the Bloc, which literally had to eat humble pie on the vexed issue, it was decided that a set of conditions - to be drawn up jointly by FB and CPI(M) - would be imposed before the licence is renewed. Reacting to the development, a Metro Cash & Carry spokesperson said: "We have received media reports that the APMC licence will be given on October 10. We heartily thank the chief minister, the Bengal government, the marketing board and all officials concerned for this."

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had on Friday overruled the board's objection and asked chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb to issue orders to renew Metro's licence by September 30. Now, as per the Front's decision, the order will not be executed. Sunday's acrimonious meeting, extending to nearly three hours, saw the Front partners coming down heavily on the Bloc leadership - state secretary Ashok Ghosh, agriculture marketing board chairman Naren Chatterjee, Barun Mukherjee and Hafiz Alam Sairani - for objections to renewing the licence and the decision to resign from the state Cabinet if the CM's order was not revoked.

With the Singur crisis still looming large, most Front partners were in no mood to allow internal bickerings to come to the fore and give the Opposition another issue to exploit. Bloc leader Barun Mukherjee explained his party's stand on the issue and why they considered Metro Cash & Carry a threat to farmers and small traders. But RSP leaders Debabrata Bandyopadhyay, Biswanath Chowdhury, CPI state secretary Manju Maju-mdar, Nandagopal Bhattacharya and other LF leaders launched a scathing attack on the Bloc leadership.

According to sources, the Bloc leaders were asked to explain why the licence was first issued in 2005 and then withdrawn in June 2007. The Bloc leadership's argument that then agriculture minister Kamal Guha wasn't aware of the implications of issuing the licence, however, didn't cut much ice. The Front partners were also critical of FB's sudden decision to boycott Writers' Buildings and quit the ministry if the CM's order was not revoked by September 30.

Harping on Left unity and the state's development, the partners asked the Bloc leadership to fall in line. Biman Bose and other Front leaders appealed to Ghosh to maintain Left unity. "We were never against issuing the licence. What upset us was the CM's unilateral decision at a time when talks were on," senior FB leader Sairani said after the meeting. However, leaders from the other Left Front parties wanted a greater say when it came to big investment in the state.

"Left Front will discuss and decide on who will be allowed to invest in West Bengal," Biman Bose told reporters. The CPM state secretary said that there was no question of any Bloc minister resigning. "CPM and Forward Bloc leaders will meet and decide on the conditions before October 10," he said. Ashok Ghosh echoed Biman Bose's words.

SECOND COPY

Kolkata, Sep 28 (IANS): Putting aside their differences, the constituents of West Bengal’s ruling Left Front Sunday decided to renew the licence of German firm Metro Cash and Carry while the Forward Bloc withdrew its threat of boycotting the state secretariat on the issue.”We discussed the issue threadbare and openly. We have arrived at the unanimous decision that the state Agricultural Marketing Board will renew the licence of Metro Cash & Carry on Oct 10, but there will be some conditions attached,” Left Front chairman Biman Bose said after the three-hour deliberations.

“Following the discussions, the Forward Bloc has also suspended the decision that its ministers will not go to the state secretariat Writers Buildings from Monday. They will attend office from Monday,” Bose said.

The Bloc’s ire had stemmed from a letter written by Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb to the South 24 Parganas district magistrate at Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s instance that the wholesale major’s licence to do business in the state may be renewed.

The Bloc had also threatened to pull out of the ministry if Bhattacharjee did not withdraw his instruction by Sep 30.

The Bloc, which holds the portfolios of agriculture and agricultural marketing in the state, had Friday said it was opposed to renewing the licence of the German company fearing “it (Metro) would eat up the space of small and poor farmers and the intermediaries”.

The party, which controls the Agriculture Marketing Board that issues the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) licences, took exception to Bhattacharjee bypassing the Board.

According to the formula finalised at Sunday’s Left Front meeting, the chief secretary’s order would not be implemented, and the Agriculture Marketing Board itself would grant the renewal.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which leads the Front, and the Bloc will hold bilateral talks before Oct 10 to decide the conditions to be imposed on Metro.

“It was also decided that in future, whenever some other company comes from abroad, the matter will first be discussed in the Left Front to decide what rights the company can be given,” Bose said.

The Bloc, opposing the entry of large corporate houses in retail trade, has expressed apprehension that Metro Cash & Carry could shift to retail business after getting a foothold in the state through wholesale trade.

The company had said it would wait till Monday before deciding whether to move out of the state.

The Bloc’s aggressive posture had come at a time when the state government was in a soup on the land issue in Singur, with Tata Motors signalling an imminent pull-out of its small car facility after having suspended operations in the Nano plant since Sep 2.

Metro Cash & Carry started constructing a 100,000 sq ft outlet for an investment of $30 million in the southeast of the city a couple of years back. The project got delayed due to land disputes.

It was granted a licence to trade in APMC commodities in 2005, which was subsequently renewed twice in 2006 and 2007 to be valid till March 2008. However, in June 2007 the said licence was unilaterally withdrawn by APMC authorities. The company filed for issuance of fresh APMC licence in March 2008 and is still awaiting this.

The German major already has four stores in India - two in Bangalore, one each in Hyderabad and Mumbai and has partnered with small and medium businesses like grocery stores, hotels and restaurants.

The Left Front has been in power in West Bengal without a break since 1977.

West Bengal gets only half its vaccine requirement

New Delhi (PTI): Following the closure of three key vaccine manufacturing facilities, the Centre is finding it difficult to meet the requirement of states like West Bengal which are receiving only 50 per cent of the some requisite vaccines needed under Universal Immunisation Programme.

The state is facing acute shortage of essential vaccines, which protect children against several life-threatening diseases, resulting from irregular and inadequate supply from the Centre.

Last year, 1,19,66,436 DPT vaccines, which protects Dyptheria, Pertusis and Tetanus, were needed in West Bengal, but it received only 80,12,020 -- a shortage of about 33 per cent. During current financial year, only about five lakh DPT vaccines were received by the state.

In the first six months of this fiscal the state has received only 7,10,750 measles vaccines as against the demand of 14,96,000 during the period. The TT-PW vaccine requirement was 32,91,000 but only 16,99,400 were received showing a shortage of about 50 per cent.

The condition is similar with other key vaccines like BCG and DT which are also facing short supply.

The issue was raised by State Health Minister Surjya Kanta Mishra during a meeting with Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday.

"The licenses of Central Research Institute of Kasauli, Pasteur Institute Coonur and BCG Vaccine Laboratory, Chennai have been suspended without making alternative arrangements for ensuring supply of vaccines," Mishra told Ramadoss.

West Bengal gets first Centre for Perishable Cargo

Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 2008-09-27, 01:45:03 (IndiaPRwire.com):

West Bengal Friday got its first Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport here. It was inaugurated by Minister of State for Commerce, Industry and Power Jairam Ramesh.

The CPC has an annual storage capacity of 12,000 million tonnes, 10 times higher than the present export of perishable goods from the Kolkata airport.

'Its installed capacity should be utilised to the maximum potential,' Ramesh told reporters on the occasion.

The 742.5 square metres CPC, built and operationalised with a 100 percent grant-in-aid of Rs.67.5 million by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) of the commerce ministry, was under trial operation from June 2008.

Kolkata being the gateway for exports to Southeast Asia, the commissioning of this CPC would prove beneficial for West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and all the northeast states.

At present, seasonal fruits, vegetables and chilled fish of perishable category are exported from Kolkata by air.

West Bengal's second CPC is under construction at Bagdogra and will be operational by March 2009, Ramesh said.

APEDA would also finance a Rs.55 million Export Cargo Complex at Haldia. It would be constructed within one year after the state government selected a contractor for the project, Ramesh added.
Indo Asian News Service

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.

CEOs blame land acquisition for delays in infra projects: CII survey

New Delhi, Sept 28: With the row in Singur, land acquisition has emerged as a big impediment for industrial projects, particularly for those in the infrastructure sector, an overwhelming 81 percent CEOs said in a CII survey.

These CEOs of infrastructure developers and financiers felt land acquisition was the biggest hurdle in implementation of infrastructure projects, the survey said.

Other factors cited for project delays by majority of the respondents are environment clearance, government approval and lack of coordination among various implementing agencies.

A case in point is the Tatas' virtual withdrawal of their small-car project from Singur in West Bengal to an alternate location despite the state government requesting them to stay back. The group had to face widespread violent protests in Singur on the issue of compensation and return of 400 acres of land at the project site.

Further, the report says, rising input and interest costs also lead to cost overrun for infrastructure projects, which was a cause of concern for both developers and financiers.

According to 46 percent of the respondents, increase in input costs is expected to be in the range of 10-20 percent, whereas 23 percent respondents expect it to go beyond that.

While rising costs would be absorbed by project developers, some companies were likely to pass it on to the government, the survey said.

About 58 percent of respondents felt there would be renegotiation of prices that may lead to further delay in implementation of projects.

However, 67 percent of those surveyed by CII said the infrastructure investments were "on track". According to government estimates, the infrastructure sector requires investment worth more than USD 400 billion in the 11th Plan period. (Bureau Report)

Singur has made US investors wary, says US consul-general

26 Sep, 2008, 1936 hrs IST, PTI

KOLKATA: The political tussle over the Tata Motors small car project at Singur has made US investors wary of investment, US consul-general in Kolkata Beth Payne on Friday said. Speaking at an interactive session organised by CII (eastern region) here, Payne said the Singur development had forced cancellation of the proposed visit of USIBC trade mission to the city this week. ''The trade mission was very excited to come to the city. But the developments taking place there had led to the cancellation," Payne said. She said US investors were very particular about respect for contracts and signed agreements. The trade mission is wondering if Ratan Tata is not able to succeed in West Bengal, how US investors would. Talking about West Bengal, she said the state had an educated workforce, low attrition rate and low cost of living. ''These characteristics make the state an attractive investment destination." ''It is regrettable that the state missed the opportunity," the envoy said.

I will talk to Ratan Tata over Singur: Buddhadeb

Kolkata, September 27, 2008(IANS): West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday said Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata was willing to sit for a dialogue with the state government over the Singur imbroglio.

"I wrote a letter to Ratan Tata and I've got a reply from him. I sent him the missive expressing willingness to have a conversation with him regarding the issue. He agreed to my proposal," Bhattacharjee said while addressing open session of the 13th all India Students Federation of India (SFI) conference in Kolkata.

He said the state government was trying its best to stop Tatas from shifting out of the state.
"If the situation continues for further period, the company will surely move out of the state. But, I am still trying to retain the project in West Bengal," he said.

Criticising the movement led by the opposition Trinamool Congress, Bhattacharjee said: "If Tata Motors shifts its Nano plant from West Bengal, Trinamool Congress will have to be responsible for that."

"I tried a lot to make the opposition leaders understand the importance of the project in West Bengal. But they are glued to their demand for the 400 acres," the chief minister said, adding: "It's impossible to give back 300-400 acres inside the Tata Motors small car project area at Singur."

According to a decision, unanimously taken in the state cabinet meeting on Friday, Bhattacharjee wrote a letter to Tata requesting him not to move out of the state.

Bhattacharjee also appealed to the company to restart operations at the plant and promised to provide full safety and security to the workers.

Buddhadeb for Metro Cash & Carry licence, Forward Bloc protests

Kolkata, Sep 27 (IANS) : West Bengal’s ruling Left Front plunged into fresh crisis Friday night with alliance member Forward Bloc saying its ministers would not attend the state secretariat from Monday to protest Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s order to renew the license of German firm Metro Cash and Carry.The Bloc’s ire stemmed from a letter from Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb to the district magistrate of South 24 Parganas at the instruction of Bhattacharjee that the wholesale major be given a renewed licence to do business in the state. The Forward Bloc, which holds the portfolios of agriculture and agricultural marketing in the state, had earlier Friday decided not to renew the license.

Slamming the chief minister’s instruction, Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh said: “Protesting this attitude of CPI-M, our ministers will abstain from going to the Writers’ Building (state secretariat) from Monday. We will continue this till the chief minister withdraws his instruction.”
Ghosh also threatened that the Bloc may even leave the ministry if the issue was not resolved soon.

The Forward Bloc is scheduled to meet the CPI-M Sep 28 to decide on the renewal of the APMC (Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee) licence for the German company.

The Bloc has been opposing the entry of large corporate houses in retail trade and has expressed apprehension that Metro Cash & Carry could shift to retail business after getting a foothold in the state through wholesale trade.

The company had Wednesday held a meeting with the chief minister and said it would wait till Monday before deciding whether it would move out of the state.

Asked whether the party would now sit for talks with the CPI-M, Ghosh said: “We don’t think there is any need for talks till the CPI-M withdraws the letter they have issued.”

While announcing their decision against renewing licence to the German firm, Ghosh had said: “Our party has decided unanimously not to renew the APMC licence for Metro Cash & Carry. We will not allow any big investor, both Indian or foreign, to eat up the space of small and poor farmers and the intermediaries,” Ghosh said.

While Naren De of the Forward Bloc is the minister for agriculture and agricultural marketing, another party leader Naren Chatterjee heads the Agriculture Marketing Board, which issues the licence.

The Bloc has four members in the Bhattacharjee ministry.

The Bloc’s aggressive posture has come at a time when the CPI-M led Left Front government has been in a soup on the Nano land issue, with Tata Motors signalling an imminent pull-out of its small car facility from Singur after having suspended operations in the plant since Sep 2.

The government had been touting the Nano project as the beginning of the industrial resurgence of the state after years of drought in attracting big investments in the manufacturing sector.

Metro Cash & Carry started constructing a 100,000 sq ft outlet for an investment of $30 million in the southeast of the city a couple of years back. The entire project got delayed due to land disputes.

It was granted a licence to trade in APMC commodities in 2005, which was subsequently renewed twice in 2006 and 2007 to be valid till March 2008. However, in June 2007 the said licence was unilaterally withdrawn by APMC authorities. The company filed for issuance of fresh APMC licence in March 2008 and is still awaiting the same.

The German major already has four stores in India - two in Bangalore, one each in Hyderabad and Mumbai and is partnered by various small and medium businesses like kirana stores, hotels and restaurants.

Don't leave West Bengal: Buddha urges Tata

NEW DELHI: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has written to Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata urging him not to shift the Nano car project from Singur. The chief minister in his letter to Ratan Tata said no more disruptions will occur. “We assure you of police protection,” he said.

The letter is seen as the last-ditch effort by Buddhadeb to salvage the Nano car project. The West Bengal government is awaiting Ratan Tata’s response. West Bengal Industries Minister Nirupam Sen said the state government was trying its best to retain the Nano project in Singur. The letter by the chief minister was sent after yesterday’s decision at the state cabinet meet to appeal to both the Tatas to implement the project here as well as to the opposition to cooperate in the interest of the state.

On Thursday, Trinamool Congress said it was willing for further talks on Singur issue if Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi takes an initiative for this. "We had responded to the invitation for talks on Singur in the past. The Governor is the constitutional head. We will go every time he calls us," Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee told a public meeting here. Without responding to the state cabinet's appeal for cooperation, she said "if the government really wants the Tata Motors unit to come up at Singur, why did it not operationalise the (September 7) agreement? The government took recourse to a canard against us, although we are for both industry and agriculture". Trinamool Congress did not ask the Tata Motors to leave Singur, she said. "Let both agriculture and industry smile." She said the state government and CPM were claiming that the September 7 agreement was a 'declaration' and not an accord. "They are cheating us. They have also insulted the Governor by violating the agreement", she charged. Reading out the copy of 'agreement', she said that her party was ready for a 'land-based solution'. She also said the industry should purchase land and added "why should land be acquired forcefully?"

Meanwhile truckloads of material have started rolling out of the Singur Nano factory, a sign that Tata Motors is on an exit route from West Bengal. There has, however, been no formal communication from the company so far.

According to reports, Tata engineers had dismantled dies and other "key fixtures unique to the Nano" from Singur and started moving them to an undisclosed location a few days back. Pending a final decision, the company could either roll out its first Nano from its Pantnagar or its Pune facility. The Rs 1 lakh car was scheduled to hit the road in October and Tata wants to stick to that deadline. But as an official said, the situation in Singur "was not conducive to work". It is believed that the Tatas are likely to announce their final decision on the matter by this weekend.

26 Sep 2008,

1401 hrs IST,

AGENCIES