• Source:JND
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Ratan Tata, the honorary chairman of Tata Sons, who passed away on Wednesday night, earlier, expressed his deep regret over the cancellation of the Nano car project in Singur, West Bengal. The project, which was announced on May 18, 2006, aimed to establish a manufacturing plant in the Hooghly district under the leadership of then-Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. The Left Front government viewed it as a major step towards industrial development in the state.

However, the project faced strong opposition from Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the opposition at the time. Banerjee's protest against the land acquisition began with a fast on December 3, 2006, in Kolkata, leading to rising tensions. On August 24, 2008, she escalated her protest on the Durgapur Express Highway, demanding that 400 acres of the 1,000 acres allocated for the project be returned to the farmers.

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On October 3, 2008, just before the Durga Puja festival, Ratan Tata announced in a press conference that the Nano project would be moved due to the ongoing protests. He directly attributed the cancellation to the movement led by Banerjee and her party, the Trinamool Congress. The manufacturing plant was subsequently relocated to Sanand, Gujarat.

After a long legal battle, the Supreme Court ordered the return of the Singur land to the farmers on August 31, 2016. Recently, an arbitration tribunal ruled that Tata Motors must pay Rs 766 crore in compensation for the losses incurred due to the project’s disruption. As a result, farming activities have resumed on the land, marking a new beginning for the affected farmers.

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Following Tata's passing, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her sorrow. In a post on X, she described Tata as "a foremost leader of Indian industries and a public-spirited philanthropist," adding that his death is a great loss for the Indian business world and society. She extended her condolences to Tata's family and colleagues.