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Undeterred, Tatas hire Singur residents

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Press Trust Of India Singur
Ignoring the threat of a renewed agitation against its small car project, Tata Motors today went ahead with mobilisation of construction equipment and enrolment of locals for work on the Rs 1,000 crore greenfield plant amidst heavy security.
 
"Registration of locals for the construction work is on and already over 200 people have been engaged. Villagers have shown keen interest in the project" the general manager (construction) of Tata Motors M B Kulkarni said.
 
Authorities however, have tightened security around the project site with heavy deployment of RAF to prevent any untoward incident.
 
Prohibitory orders continue to be in force in the area.
 
Threatening to intensify agitation against "forcible" acquisition of land for the Tata Motors' project,Trinamool spokesperson Partha Chatterjee said, "Singur may turn into Nandigram where violent protests by farmers forced the government to stop anti-farmer action by the police."
 
Chatterjee added that the "Tatas cannot set up the factory by simply erecting a fence".He warned against the administration's "help by way of repeated imposition of 144 CrPC".
 
"Only people's support can ensure success of a project," the TC leader said.
 
He said at this stage the Trinamool talks with the state government on Singur were "useless as the government has gone back on its word".
 
Party chief Mamata Banerjee alleged that the government had promised to not to begin work on the car plant before the dialogue.
 
It was on this promise that she had decided to call off her 26-day hunger strike but the promise was not kept,she alleged.
 
The announcement of the location here by the West Bengal government had, however, evoked instant protests from the Trinamool Congress and other opposition parties in the state.
 
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government is yet to sign the lease agreement with Tata Motors for the land given to it at Singur for the small car project.
 
"The lease agreement was initially scheduled to be signed in January, but it could not be done as the Tata Motors officials could not give time. The date for signing is yet to be finalised," Industry Secretary Sabyasachi Sen said today.

 

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First Published: Jan 23 2007 | 12:00 AM IST

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