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Contract workers stay away from Tata Motors plant
Attendance of contract workers has fallen sharply at the Tata Motors factory in Singur where the company is hoping to make its Nano small car project a reality.
- IANS
- Published: 23:44 August 28, 2008
Kolkata: Attendance of contract workers has fallen sharply at the Tata Motors factory in Singur where the company is hoping to make its Nano small car project a reality.
A Tata Motors official said yesterday workers at the project site were being threatened by those opposed to the project and expressed fears that any resultant delays could tell on the Nano rollout.
"The attendance of contractual labourers has fallen further. The constant decline in their attendance following increasing threats is sure to affect the deadlines of the project," said the official requesting anonymity.
Police confirm threats
The police concede workers are being threatened. "There have been a couple of cases in Singur of an employee being verbally threatened and another being slapped by the agitators," Raj Kanojia, inspector general of police (law and order), said yesterday.
"But there has been no incident today. In the morning, around 40-45 vehicles with Tata Motors employees entered the project site," Kanojia said.
Nano, touted as the world's cheapest car at Rs100,000 (Dh8,388) ex-showroom, is scheduled to roll out in October.
Agitators, led by Trinamool Congress chief Mamta Banerjee, have gone on an indefinite demonstration in front of the factory site demanding that about 400 acres, which had been acquired for the Tata project from farmers unwilling to part with their land, be returned to them.
Stalemate: Centre blames CM
Blaming the ruling Left Front government in West Bengal for the Singur stalemate, Information and Broadcasting Minister and senior Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi yesterday held Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee responsible for the entire issue.
"Bhattacharjee is the only person responsible for the Singur impasse. The state government completed the entire procedure of land acquisition in a hurry and thus the situation deteriorated," Dasmunsi said at the 55th Foundation Day celebration of Congress party's students' wing, the Chhatra Parishad, in Kolkata.
He said the Congress would always stand by the farmers and help protect their interests.
"Buddhadeb will have to do everything on his own to resolve the issue," he said.
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