Trinamool chief to join car plant siege

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee would not be stopped from joining her party's indefinite sit-in demonstration in Singur today against land acquisition for Tata Motors there, a top West Bengal official said yesterday, even as security around the factory site was strengthened.

"The Trinamool Congress chief will not be stopped on the way as she has promised to stage a peaceful demonstration in Singur. We hope she will keep her word and carry out her programme democratically," West Bengal Home Secretary Ashok Mohon Chakraborty said.

"We hope the process of dialogue, which was initiated between the state government and the Trinamool congress, would continue," he added.

Chakraborty said the security at Tata Motor's small car factory site in Singur in Hooghly district, about 40 kilometres from here, had been increased in view of the Trinamool Congress agitation.

Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata Friday said the plant, manufacturing the world's cheapest car Nano, would be shifted out of West Bengal if the security of employees could not be assured.

More police

West Bengal police chief Raj Kanojia said: "We have deployed more police force at the factory site. Already there have been a large number of police in the area but the fresh deployment was made to combat any trouble during the Trinamool Congress' political programme."

Maharashtra

Place of choice

The Maharashtra government is awaiting with bated breath Tata group chairman Ratan Tata's reaction to its proposal to shift the Nano plant to this state, an official said yesterday.

"We have made a clear offer to the Tata group. The ball is now in their court," the official said, declining to elaborate.

"If the Tatas want, they can set up operations anywhere in Maharashtra. We shall offer them all facilities, including land, anywhere they require - Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad or any other place of their choice," Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said.

- IANS