Tata Motors begins initial steps for construction of small car plant in West Bengal
January 21, 2007

Tata Motors today initiated preliminary steps for the construction of its small car plant at Singur, with the consent of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).

The Tata Motors' plant operation is expected to create employment in excess of 10,000 direct and indirect jobs within the plant, amongst vendors and service providers in the vicinity.

The civil construction for the plant is being initiated by Tata Motors. Tata Motors through its contractors and its sub-contractors will deploy appropriate and necessary people from the Singur area on various unskilled jobs and also skilled assignments, like masons, fitters etc, as per the project's needs.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors is initiating various steps to train people of the Singur villages, who had earlier registered with the WBIDC, to improve their employability. It has already selected a batch of individuals, on the basis of a test and interview, for an extensive 6-month training. Another group of 179 residents of Singur, selected by the WBIDC, are at present being trained by the Ramakrishna Shilpa Mandir (Belur). The company is in the process of organising more extensive training for them based on a selection process. Arrangements will also be made to impart relevant training to other individuals, in the WBIDC list, appropriate to their educational background and skills and based on a selection process.

As part of the project work, Tata Motors is also organising groups of women from Singur families to supply food for the construction workers. This is part of the company's plan to infuse income-generation for Singur families, by enabling them to produce various items, which will be required during the construction phase and when the Tata Motors' vendor plants are operational. Other such women's group activities will include tailoring to manufacture personal gear.

Tata Motors is confident that the plant will become a catalyst for both the greater well being of Singur families and the growth of the region. The automobile plant will boost development in the state. The visit of the first group of 23 panchayat leaders of the Singur area on January 17 to Tata Motors' Jamshedpur facility and community development initiatives, their appreciation of the company and their whole-hearted welcome to the organisation is indicative of how the ineradicable emotional bond between the company and the community will be further cemented in the future, as at other locations.