Bengal govt plans to set up metro rail coach factory at Singur

PTI Updated - October 29, 2011 at 04:35 PM.

A Metro rail coach factory is proposed on the land of abandoned Tata Motors at Singur in joint collaboration with Steel Authority of India Ltd, Railways and the West Bengal Government.

“SAIL has given a letter to the state government expressing interest to set up a coach factory of the Metro Rail. I had a talk with Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi,” the Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, told reporters here today.

“I will be happy if Railways, SAIL and the state government jointly set up the coach factory at Singur on 600 acres. We are committed to return the remaining 400 acres to the unwilling farmers,” she said.

She said that the Railways had agreed to the proposed Metro coach factory and would send a formal letter soon.

“I made a provision for a Metro coach factory in the Railway Budget when I was the Rail Minister. The Railways appear to be interested in a Metro coach factory to be set up on the land at Singur,” she said.

Announcing a slew of industrial projects that her government has taken up for implementation in the next six months, Ms Mamata Banerjee said that the land at Singur was now with the state government.

The Calcutta High Court has held the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011, by which the state government had vested the Singur land, to be constitutional.

The court had ordered on September 28 an unconditional stay of the judgment till November 2 to allow any aggrieved party to file an appeal, if it so desired.

Tata Motors, which was to come up with the Nano car plant at Singur, had moved to Sanand in Gujarat in 2008 citing a law and order problem.

Published on October 29, 2011 10:55