Bengal: Tatas may get land before Puja

Amid resistance by the Opposition, the West Bengal government said on Thursday it would go ahead with land acquisition for the Rs 1,000-crore (Rs 10 billion) small car project of Tata Motors at Singur in Hooghly district and make it available to the company next month.

''The government will start the process of handing over the land to Tata Motors before the Durga Puja festival next month,'' Commerce and Industry minister Nirupam Sen told reporters.

Sen, who held a prolonged meeting with the Land Reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Molla, said that the government would start land acquisition soon. Tata Motors would require 1,253 acres for setting up a Rs 100,000-people's car project, which would include spare parts units and housing.

Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata said in Kolkata on Tuesday he was hopeful the state government would be able to acquire the land required for his project in Singur.

Tata said the state government was being very supportive. Opposition Trinamool Congress has said that it would resist the move to hand over fertile agricultural land to industries.

''We are not against industries in the state, but industries should come up in areas earmarked for it,'' Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee has said.

Her party said that giving away agricultural land might pose a threat to the security in future.

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