Singur Agitation and Tata Lakhtakia Nano
Let's take the case of tata's head mr.ratan tata on the controversy over singur plant that is being setup for the small 1 lakh car nano.
"We do not want to come to an area where, we perceive, we are unwanted," Mr Tata observed.
Hello!!!! right from day one, there has been protests against the entire process of land acquisitions and our not-so-communists communists rejected all these protests with police heavyhand.
He had no doubt that the relocation of the factory would cost the company and its shareholders heavily. "But it will also hit hard West Bengal, where the Tatas decided to come at a time when there was hardly any development as this part of the country was ignored from the investment point of view," he said.
Of course, west bengal needs development, but not developedment. if seizing of land is by force, if development comes via fake SEZ's, if massive environmental violations aid mining and polluting factories, if unsustainable dams are being pushed ruthlessly, let's reject that fake process of development. Why can't west bengal develop. How about an agricultural export zone in singur. How about organic agricultural zone in singur. How about incentives to other industries that can come up in singur and its related areas in terms of less land usage like software companies or bpo sectors with good incentives from state government.
We should reject this typical ceo talk of 'if i wont come, there wont be any progress' talk. this is not talk, this is more of a threat.
It is now for the people here to decide whether we are unwanted or whether we will be accepted as good corporate citizens that we are".
"good corporate citizens"? then how about listening a little bit about dhamra port. how about the massive titanium dioxide plant in southern tamilnadu. how about stop being a broker for a multinational that still does not own responsibility for the world's deadliest industrial disaster.
"We are extremely sensitive about the needs of the rural community and we believe in the balanced growth of rural and industrial development. In Singur, we have taken on lease the land offered to us and we have not come here to exploit any one.". "Perhaps, many people do not want us to be here," he said.
"extremely sensitive about the needs of rural community"? oh yeah right. we can ask the people of kalinganagar in orissa for that sensitivity guess.
Bottom line is this. Tata group, one of India's premier group, is after maniac profits. profits at any cost. in nano, they wanted free land along with a lot of other incentives so that they can produce a cheap car and in volumes make a killing. not only in singur, but in many cases (a sample of which i have quoted above), the tata group seems to be hell bent on being a money making machine.
And tata it seems seems to be repeating the same line. if not you then somewhere else.
But Tamil Nadu is faced with the threat that Tata could take its business elsewhere. Tata Steel managing director B. Muthuraman has warned it that Tata "will have alternative plans if things don't work out in Tamil Nadu."
Why does india's biggest group need to profit on our environment and the blood of rural people. why can't they draw a line and say we have made enough and will be making enough money. but that money will come with more human face and not with a brutal hand.
