Tata Motors distressed with Singur deal

Mumbai, Sept 8 : Tata Motors on Monday said that it was "distressed" at the limited clarity on the outcome of talks between the Government of West Bengal and protesters over the Singur issue.

The company said that the deal on Nano project in Singur lacks clarity and that it would only review its position in the plant for the low-cost Nano car, where work was suspended last week, if it was confident that the viability of the project was not impinged.

No employee of Tata Motors or its contractors entered the factory in Singur today, the day after an agreement was reached to lift the siege on it.

On Sunday, the West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi had mediated a pact between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the State Government over the disputed farmland acquired for the project.

The agreement was reached on Sunday after a series of meetings between West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee had called off her 15-day-long siege of the plant last night after the deal.

It was agreed that the State Government would form a committee to look into the affected farmers' demands and report in seven days. Till then the construction of the ancillary units will be on hold.

The agreement said that the Government has taken the decision to respond to the demand of those farmers who have not received compensation, by means of land to be provided to the maximum within the project area and the rest in adjacent areas as early as possible.

Last week the Tata Motors, which is building a factory for the world's cheapest car priced at Rs one lakh in Singur, stopped work indefinitely at the project site following an agitation by farmers led by the TMC.

ANI