BHEL drops Singur idea

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has expressed its inability to put up the proposed power project at the Tata Motors' abandoned Singur site, in a written communication to the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL).

State government sources said, the public sector had cited 6-7 reasons. The projects under consideration were a power equipment plant and a super thermal power plant of 2x800 MW, which would require 1,500-1,600 acres, but the Singur plot was spread over 997 acres. Moreover, the nearest source of water was at least 18-20 km away and coal transporation would also be a problem.

Sources added that environment and pollution concerns were also a major reason. Debashis Sen, managing director, WBPDCL said, "I am not commenting on this today."

The project was supposed to be in partnership with WBPDCL. The move would dash the flicker of hope that had been raised with the visit from the BHEL team on November 13.

Over a year ago, Tata Motors pulled out its Nano project from Singur after an indefinite protest led by Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, who is now Railway minister.

Banerjee's main demand was return of 400 acres to unwilling land losers, though the state government put the figure at 181 acres. A source said, BHEL may have also realised that the land would not be available to them in the next 2-3 years as eight special leave petitions were pending in the Supreme Court.

On his last visit to Kolkata in September, Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata had said that he would not stand in the way of any development that might take place on the land. He indicated, he would return the land if compensated.

"We left behind a fair share of investment in the land and in sheds, infrastructure and so on for which we would like to be compensated," Tata had said.

Tata Motors has renewed the lease for the year and so have most of the vendors. The mother plant was to be spread over 650 acres and vendor park 290 acres.