Railways, SAIL intend to set up coach factory at Singur, says Mamata

Even as the legal battle for the erstwhile Nano site at Singur is still on, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has said that Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and Indian Railways is looking to set up a metro coach factory at the location.

“I had a discussion with the Railways Minister, Dinesh Trivedi, regarding the setting up of a metro rail coach factory at Singur. Railways has already showed keenness on this, at the same time, SAIL, too, has given a letter. Singur land is with us. But since a court case is on, there are some legal bindings. We will be happy if Railways, SAIL and the state government can form a joint venture. We are committed to returning 400 acres to the unwilling farmers,” Banerjee said, as part of her briefing on an industrial revolution set to engulf West Bengal.

SAIL chairman, C S Verma, however, refrained from commenting on a proposed project at Singur.

“SAIL and Railways have a longstanding business relationship. To strengthen it further, work has commenced in new areas, several of them in West Bengal, such as a wagon manufacturing unit at Kulti, wagon components manufacturing factory at Jellingham, Nandigram for manufacture of cast steel bogies and coupler, etc. SAIL has also requested Railways for allocation of rail coach factory project at Kanchrapara. Besides, SAIL is in talks with Railways for setting a metro coach manufacturing facility in any suitable site in West Bengal,” Verma said in a statement.

Even if the venture materializes at Singur, it will not happen in the near term, and Banerjee realizes it as well. Banerjee won the first round of the court battle against Tata Motors, as the Calcutta High Court upheld the validity of the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act that revoked the agreement between Tata Motors and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation for the Singur land. But the judgement has been stayed till November 2, giving the company time to file an appeal.

Moreover, vendors and unwilling farmers at Singur are also likely to file an appeal for an extension of stay.