Modi, Tata drive Nano to its new home in 4 days

The Tatas today announced they were shifting their Rs 1-lakh Nano car project to Sanand near Ahmedabad — this was first reported by The Indian Express — after a controversial stay in Singur in West Bengal. The Tatas, who quit Singur last Friday, said they would be investing Rs 2,000 crore and would go all out to meet the deadline for the world’s cheapest car, even if it meant turning to a makeshift plant.

A Tata Motors statement said it would explore the possibility of manufacturing Nano at its existing facilities in Pune and Pantnagar and would launch the car in the last quarter (January-March) of the financial year.

“This is an extremely momentous and happy day for us because we have been through a rather sad experience from a small quarter of residents of West Bengal despite the efforts of the state government,” Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata said at a joint press conference with Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit:
http://epaper.indianexpress.com/IE/IEH/2008/10/08/index.shtml

Amar Singh by her side, Mamata to Tatas: stay, but return 400 acres

On Day One of her party’s siege of the Tana Nano factory in Singur, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee asked the Tatas not to leave Bengal but “be satisfied” with 600 acres of land. Identifying 500 acres just opposite the Nano factory, she proposed that ancillary units be shifted there.

The dharna near the factory gate was peaceful and Banerjee was joined, among others, by SP general secretary Amar Singh and activist Medha Patkar.

“I would urge the Tatas not to leave Bengal. Stay here, be satisfied with 600 acres. Please return 400 acres to the farmers or else we will continue to sit here and agitate,” Banerjee told a huge gathering of party workers and supporters.

To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.indianexpress.com