Mamata invites Tata, BMW for setting up automobile industry in Bengal

14 September, Singur (West Bengal)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today invited major auto-mobiles makers, including Tata Motors and BMW to invest in as she offered some 1,000 acres of government land at Goaltore in West Medinipur.

“Industry and agriculture can coexist as they are bother and sister and we have some 1,000 acres of land ready at Goaltore for setting up industries as any investor – whether it is Tata or BMW – is welcome to set up an automobile manufacturing unit there,” Ms Banerjee said after distributing land documents and cheques to the Singur farmers ending their 12 years wait.

Celebrating the Singur Diwas, Ms Banerjee opined that the procedures of taking land forcibly from Singur farmers was not correct.

“We have a land bank and a land use policy. We can give 1,000 acres in Goaltore in West Midnapore. We also have land in Panagarh and Howrah. Our message is clear. We want more IT and manufacturing industries in Bengal,” she added.

Ms Banerjee made it clear that she was not against industry and mentioned that Bengal has been holding ” Bengal Global Business Summit” for the last three years.

Some 9,117 land deeds were handed over and around 806 compensation cheques to unwilling farmers were handed over by the Chief Minister and her cabinet colleagues.
“In the first lot, 9,117 parchas were given. All land will be returned in cultivable form within eight weeks,” she said.

She said the government will be setting up check dams and small tube wells for irrigation in Singur. She added that soil testing was going on and all fertilisers for making the land fertile and cultivable will be provided to farmers.

“We will provide Rs 10,000 to all farmer families to aid them in farming,” she added.
A Customs Hiring Centre will be set up in Singur to help farmers get loans. A training and demonstration centre for farmers will also be set up here.