By IANS,
Kolkata : Attendance of contract labour fell at the Tata Motors’ Nano project site at Singur after workers were threatened by those oopposing the project, a company official said Thursday.
According to him, this could delay the Nano small car rollout.
“The attendance of contractual labourers has fallen further. The constant decline in their attendance following increasing threats is sure to affect the deadlines of the project,” said the official requesting anonymity.
The police concede workers are being threatened.
“There were a couple of cases in Singur where an employee was verbally threatened and another was slapped by the agitators,” confirmed Raj Kanojia, inspector general of police (law and order).
“But there has been no incident today. In the morning, around 40-45 vehicles with Tata Motors employees entered the project site,” Kanojia said.
Nano, the world’s cheapest car priced at Rs.100,000 (around $2,500) ex-showroom, is scheduled to roll out in October.
Agitators, led by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, have gone on an indefinite demonstration in front of the factory site since Sunday, demanding that about 400 acres, which had been acquired for the Tata project from farmers unwilling to part with their land, be returned to them.
A total of 997.11 acres was acquired for the project, of which around 690 acres belonged to farmers who gave their land willingly.