MK virtually rules out Titanium project

Chennai, Aug 9: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today virtually ruled out the Government implementing the Rs 2,500 crore titanium dioxide project, for which it had entered into an MoU with Tata Steels.

In a statement here, the Chief Minister, referring to the views expressed by various parties regarding the project, said those who suggested that the Government could implement the project, did not think whether the Government had the financial resources to launch the project on its own.

Justifying Tata setting up the unit, he said those who had knowledge of industrial sector would agree that Tata had been running industries in the country in a transparent manner without giving room for any corruption charges.

On the remarks by some people that Tata was coming to the State for the first time to set up an industry, Mr Karunanidhi said it was unfortunate these people were unaware that Tata had already set up industries in the State.

He said that when Tata tried to set up an industry in West Bengal, it faced problems and large scale protests and suddenly, Nandigram became the talk of the town. However, eminent economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen had defended Tata setting up industry at Nandigram, stating big industries were necessary for the overall development of the country.

The Chief Minister quoted Mr Sen having told an English daily that the industrial policy of the Communist party was not a well thought out policy. Its agitations might have won some rights to the workers in some cases, but because some industries had left Kolkata, the workers had lost their rights.

The Economist had also said many industries have come up in fertile and wet lands on the banks of river Hoogly and Ganga and the Left parties would not be correct in their argument that cultivable lands should not be given to industries, Mr Karunanidhi said.

He was extensively quoting from Mr Sen's interview as the views expressed by him would apply to Tamil Nadu also, he said, appealing to the people to think whether the projects envisaged by the Government for the lesser developed southern districts would help to improve their socio-economic conditions.

In a veiled attack on the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and other allies, he said ''let the people realise who is trying to scuttle the project and their intentions and come to a conclusion.''

UNI