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Tata
Motors' Final Ta Ta to Singur
By Indra
Oct. 4, 2008 |
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Ultimately
Buddha loses his brave war against Mamta. Tata
Motors has finally abandoned Singur, the place
that could have become the next Detroit. Ratan
Tata rightly refused to work under police
protection promised by Buddha. It is not
practically possible, as Tata claimed, because
of ‘the continued aggression and agitation by
the Opposition led by Mamta’. I am sorry for the
region that could have become prosperous and the
young men who could have been employed.
Unfortunately Mamta is still not sorry about it
and considers Tata’s decision as ‘a part of the
joint game plan of the CPM and the Tatas’. Will
the people affected keep on tolerating such
political terrorism?
The people and leadership of Bengal must take it
seriously. They must say ta ta to their unique
invention years ago of violent agitations of
different forms in name of democratic protest
that has spread all over the country now,
otherwise the entrepreneur will dare not come to
West Bengal to get run its establishment on the
dictate of party or union goons. The government
at the center must also look into the land
policy and labour laws more seriously and on top
priority, otherwise it can’t stop the
industrialists to go for investments in foreign
acquisitions rather than trying to come up with
Greenfield projects of large scale inside the
country. The national interest must be above the
crazy political principles.
Tata Motors did a smart job by removing the dies
and dedicated equipment meant for Nano
manufacturing in time from the plant site.
Perhaps it was possible with the government of
West Bengal on its side. Otherwise the agitators
would have obstructed that operation that could
have made the production of Nano difficult.
Perhaps Mamta would never have dreamt it. After
all, she has never been that intelligent.
I get a veiled joy. I have been writing on the
subject for a long time. Right in the beginning
I expressed my utter amazement to Tata’s
decision to come to Bengal. I had also written
against excessive amount of land demand by Tata.
That was on my first hand experiences of West
Bengal. Bengal has hardly changed. The name of
the political party taking the lead might have
changed. I still get scared when I see red flags
fluttering high in large numbers, wall full with
posters of all kind of agitations even in Sector
5 of Salt Lake that houses prestigious IT
companies, or processions of people in the
streets carrying all types of banners all over
the years.
However, I still feel Tata Motors and for that
matter all the industrial plants must try to
keep the requirement of land at the minimum.
Plant designers must innovate. They must go
high. The plant must preferably not take fertile
land to locate large plant. Tata Motors in
Pantnagar is also on a very fertile land that
was taken away from the GB Pant Agricultural
University.
I still think Tata Motors should keep Singur
plant with it and have an assembly plant of Nano
in it some day sooner or later. East India with
Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Northeastern states
must and will certainly grow fast and will be a
good market for Nano.
Overall the Singur episode is a black spot on
the country’s endeavor to get ahead in
manufacturing sector. Nano is a prestigious
product with potential to get globally accepted.
Politicians have again failed India.
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