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Mamata proposes rail coach factory on controversial land
Federal minister wants 160 hectares returned to 'unwilling farmers'
- IANS
- Published: 00:00 November 14, 2009
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee now wants to build a rail coach factory jointly with the West Bengal government on the Singur plot abandoned by Tata Motors, but after returning the 160 hectares to "unwilling" farmers.
"I feel a national project should come up on that land. If necessary, we can go for a joint venture with the state government too. We will set up the world's biggest coach factory over there," Banerjee, who is the Railway Minister, told a TV channel.
Banerjee's comments came a day after state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals officials visited the abandoned Tata Motors land in Singur, 40km from here, to consider setting up a power generation plant.
The belt had turned into a battleground since May 2006 after the state's Left Front government announced that the auto major would roll out Nano, the world's cheapest car, priced at Rs100,000 (Dh8,330) from there.
Protests
Opposition Trinamool-led protesters had then demanded return of 160 hectares — of the 399 hectares acquired — to farmers "unwilling to part with their land". Finally, Tata Motors in October 2008 moved the small car plant to Sanand in Gujarat.
Banerjee clarified that her department would like to construct the coach factory after returning 400 acres to the farmers and the ancillaries to the coach factory would come up in Dankuni in Hooghly district.
"If they [state government] give us the land, we can proceed. We can build the ancillary industry in Dankuni and I can join the two places by a dedicated rail line," she said.
Banerjee said she spoke to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee three to four months back about the coach factory.
"He told me to go ahead." The Singur land in Hooghly district is still in the possession of Tata Motors.
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