By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal may have lost a chance to nurture world’s least expensive car but there is a possibility of the project coming back to its original site Singrur if the makers Tata Motors decide so, a top official said here Wednesday.
Principal Secretary (Industry) Sabyasachi Sen’s comment followed news reports quoting him as saying that the Nano “will definitely be made in West Bengal as the low-cost car needs at least four to five plants”.
Sen said he had only talked about the possibility of the car project coming back to the state.
“I said we have lost the chance of being the first production unit of Nano. However, there may be a possibility of Singur later, if local objections can be resolved through dialogue. Because ultimately Tata Motors may go for more than one production unit in India. This decision rests with Tata Motors,” Sen clarified.
Nano was scheduled to roll out from Singur in Hoogly district, 40 km from here.
But Singur turned into a battleground for about two-and-a-half years from May 2006 after the state government announced the project.
The opposition Trinamool led a violent protest demanding the return of 400 acres of the acquired 997.11 acres to farmers. But the Tatas were against any relocation of ancillaries in the integrated project.
On Oct 3 last year, the company announced that it had scrapped its plans to bring out the small car, priced at Rs.100,000, from the facility in Singur. The plant was shifted to Sanand in Gujarat.