World | India
Activists demand new projects as Tata leaves
Hundreds of Congress activists on Sunday staged a road blockade in front of the abandoned Tata Motors small car factory site at Singur in West Bengal, demanding the construction of new industrial units in the area.
- IANS
- Published: 23:41 January 11, 2009
Kolkata: Hundreds of Congress activists on Sunday staged a road blockade in front of the abandoned Tata Motors small car factory site at Singur in West Bengal, demanding the construction of new industrial units in the area.
The agitation continued for more than two hours near Khaserbheri area in Hooghly district, causing major traffic congestion on the Durgapur Expressway.
"We want new industries at the abandoned Tata Motors factory site at Singur. We do not know whether Tata will set up any factory there or any other company will come forward.
"But there should an industrial unit on the acquired land that is lying vacant for months," said senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan, who led the agitators.
Mannan said some industrial units had to be constructed for the sakes of farmers, who willingly gave their land to the government for the Tata factory.
He added that if there would be no industrial unit at Singur, then the state government had to prepare to return the land to the farmers.
Pulling out
The automaker last year announced it was pulling out its Nano small car unit from Singur, following a prolonged agitation by the opposition Trinamool Congress supporters demanding 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 Nano, the Rs100,000 (Dh7,641) car, has met with stiff resistance from the Trinamool-led farmers who have protested against the 'illegal' acquisition of the farmland.
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