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Tata Motor's car project at Singur, West Bengal on track (Part II)

Singur will be a Jewel in the Crown, Bengal should not let it go.

In his first ever interactive session with the media in Kolkata over the Tata Motors ‘One Lakh’ small car project, the company’s Managing Director, Ravi Kant said on Saturday that the project is a commitment to the state of West Bengal. “It’s going to be a jewel in the crown for Bengal — a project that will change the face of the region. It’s a dream car of international standard and it’s going to be a reality. Following are excerpts from the interview.

Did you have an interaction with the chief minister during your current visit?
Mr Kant: No, I did not meet him this time but we have been in constant touch with him.

Are you satisfied with the progress made so far? When do you expect to get the physical possession of the land for the plant?
Mr Kant: Yes, we are very happy with the progress made so far. We have been told that the consent letters for 927 acres of the land area have already been received.

Did any other state want the car plant?
Mr Kant: We had a number of proposals for the car project. But for us now it is a commitment to the state of West Bengal . We will like to have it here.
We had many other options. In fact, we had already decided to set up this plant elsewhere. We changed this decision 11 months ago.

What were the reasons for changing your decision and where was the plant originally located?
Mr Kant: I can’t disclose the original location of the plant. But the reasons for changing the decision are many, the most important being the offer made by the West Bengal government to us. We had different perception about the state. When we talked directly with the state government we were amazed by the openness and sincerity of the discussion. It was totally different from the perception we had about the state.
Besides, there was a “soft corner” for the Tata Group for the state, an emotional connect with the people of Bengal that might have influenced Mr Tata to take this decision. Of course, there were people who would say negative things about the state. At this stage we should not allow those things to be proved true so that those people can come and tell us “ I told you so.”

Any regrets now?
Mr Kant: No regrets at all. We are going to prove that this car project is a reality.

Why did you choose Singur for the project? What are the factors behind selecting this site?
Mr Kant: This car project is not an ordinary one in many ways. Its a dream car project that’s going to catch world attention. Why should it be located in the back and beyond of everything ? It’s going to be the jewel in the crown and one would be proud to take people and show it to them. Why should it be located in some distant area ? We have high regards for the people of the state and we are sure they would feel proud to have this project.

Besides, there are more reasons why we wanted it in this region. By 2012, the road network in the country is going to improve vastly. Each and every village will be well connected. There is going to be a revolution in the movement and auto industry is going to be one of the main sectors to flourish. The Tata Motors small car is going to be a ‘disruptive product’ in the sense it will change the way the industry works now. Chennai has big auto factories, Maharashtra has it and more are coming in those regions. East is the only place where there is no such factory. Therefore, we decided to have it here.

Do you expect to keep to the deadline of mid-2008 when this car should role out?
Mr Kant: Yes. almost everything is ready. The technology has been chosen. The car has been under testing. The vendors are being selected. Orders for machines are being placed. And there is so much of confidence in the market for the product that a large number of MNCs are eager to get involved with Tata Motors. The new technology has been taken as a challenge worldwide.

Would you like to interact with the political parties who are trying to disrupt the project?
Mr Kant: Tata Motors is ready to interact with any stake holder in the project. The company will not be shy of the project. We will be more than willing to talk and show them what Tata projects have done elsewhere — be it in Jamshedpur, South Korea, South Africa, Pune or now in Pantnagar in Uttaranchal.

Compiled by Sukla