Unrest in Tata car project continues for second day

Singur/Kolkata, Jan 10(UNI) The unrest in the small car project at Singur affected work for the second successive day today when a section of agitated workers held demonstration and prevented others from joining duty.

Shouting slogans and waving flags, about 50 people, including some terminated workers, entered the project site and forcibly stopped work by threatening them.

The agitators, all local people, were demanding reinstatement of the 131 casual workers whose service had been terminated.

According to Chandanagar SDPO Kalyan Mukherjee, no work could be held in the project till 1400 hrs. " Though work resumed with about 25 per cent workforce later in the day, the machine room could not function at all," he said.

The agitation was, however, withdrawn after West Bengal Development Corporation (WBIDC) officials assured the workers to look into their grievances.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, CPI(M) state Secretary Biman Basu said the state Government should explore how the terminated workers could be engaged in some other jobs in the project.

In a significant development that coincided unveiling of the Tatas' small car in Delhi, work at Singur remained disrupted for a major part of the day yesterday because of demonstration.

Sitting for a dharna in front of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation(WBIDC), close to the project site, about 350 workers held the demonstration under the banner of CITU, the labour wing of the CPI(M) in protest against termination of their jobs.

The agitated workers, belonging to Singur, also prevented others from joining duty and chased away a group of labourers when they were about to enter the project site.

UNI KDG KK RN1959