Tatas fed up with Singur protests

By Swati Khandelwal, CNBC-TV18 | 04 Aug 2008

The Tatas have had it with Singur. Ravi Kant, MD, Tata Motors said they are running out of patience and the company is actively looking at other plants to produce the Nano, reports CNBC-TV18.

Delays at Singur may have forced Tata Motors to put its plan B into action. Sources say the company may scale down its production target for Nano from the earlier projcetion of 50,000 plus by the end of this fiscal.

Tata Motors plans to stick to Nano's launch timeline around October. The company will roll out the Nano from its satellite plant at Pant Nagar in Uttrakhand. 

CNBC-TV18 learns that vendors have been asked to supply components for about 150 cars in Pant Nagar. These cars are said to be for trial runs;  to be sent to dealers before launch. The Nano production may be scaled down  from 2,500 units per month to 500 units per month.

"We are trying our best, bending over backwards, working overtime and all that is required to make it possible. We are trying to do that, yet unfortunately the situation is becoming bad and I think ultimately the people of West Bengal have to decide whether they want to have industrialisation in that state or not. I think people in Bengal should feel proud that this product is actually going to come out from their state. And it is for them I think, to build up public opinion on what should be done or not. But if people think that this kind of thing should not happen, then we will see," said Ravi Kant, MD, Tata Motors.

''We are not going to be stopping at Singur, because we feel that the demand will be much more than what Singur can produce. Therefore, we have to look actively at other plants, which will produce products like Nano. Having said that, as far as Uttaranchal plant is concerned, at that time Nano was not even in the picture. That plant is a flexible plant. They can take even larger vehicles. If they can take larger vehicles, they can take smaller vehicles also. We are continuing as long as our patience lasts,'' added Kant.