Singur project comes to grinding halt for second day today

Singur/Kolkata, Aug 30 (UNI) Tata Motors' Nano car project went without work for the second day, while the National Highway Two remained choked for the seventh day today with the situation following an indefinite 'dharna' by the Trinamool Congress showing no sign of improvement.

Stating that the condition was still not conducive for work, Tata Motors authorities said they continued to assess the situation.

'' There has been no improvement in the ground situation so far.

Hence, the conditions are still not conducive for resuming work today. We continue to assess the situation closely, '' a company spokesperson said.

A day after Tata Motors employees and officers remained holed up inside the project site for hours, following a picketing by agitators in front of the main gate, the company suspended work indefinitely from yesterday.

Meanwhile, National Highway Authority of India Project Director Avadesh Kumar leading a six-member team today held a meeting with Hooghly District Magistrate Neelam Meena, Superintendent of Police Rajiv Mishra and DIG (Burdwan) Harmeenpreet Singh and insped the dharna manchas.

Mr Kumar also held a discussion with senior Trinamool leaders and requested them for opening at least one way of the NH 2.

Before coming to Singur, Mr Kumar told newsmen at Durgapur that he had made an appeal to the state government to take required steps to clear NH 2.

Mr Kumar said if the state government did not take the rquired steps, he would urge the Union Government to deploy CRPF to clear the expressway.

The SP said the NHAI authorities had also lodged a complaint against the setting up of ''illegal'' camps, which had encroached upon the expressway.

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee started the 'dharna' on August 24 with her followers demanding 400 acre of the 997 acre of land of the project site be returned to farmers from whom it was 'forcibly' acquired.

With the political turmoil over land acquisition threatening the world's cheapest car project, Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata had sounded a pullout threat last week, saying he would be forced to do so, if the violence and disruption of work continued.

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