The Hindu : Front Page : Tatas choose Gujarat as new home for Nano

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Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008
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Tatas choose Gujarat as new home for Nano

Manas Dasgupta

We’ll try to roll out the car by the year-end: Ratan Tata

— PHOTO: AFP

GREEN SIGNAL: Chairman of Tata Motors Ratan Tata with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi prior to the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. The agreement secured a new home for the Nano car project in Gujarat.

GANDHINAGAR: Forced to move out of Singur in West Bengal, Tata Motors will locate its small car project at Sanand in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district.

An agreement between the Gujarat government and the Tata group for the Rs. 2,000-crore venture was signed here on Tuesday, ending speculation on the relocation of the project that had been marred by controversy since work began two years ago.

Tata has been allocated 1,100 acres at Chharodi and Charal villages, just 25 km from Ahmedabad.

Mr. Modi and Tata group chairman Ratan Tata, addressing journalists, described the agreement as “historic” and hoped that after the “unfortunate turmoil” the project underwent in Singur, it would now have a smooth sailing.”

Avoiding direct answers to questions about the “concessions” given by the government for relocating the project, Mr. Tata said the deal was “better” than what he was offered by the West Bengal government. He did not say when the first Nano car would roll out of the new factory and what would be its final price, but said he would try to “keep very close” to the promise he had made of putting the small car in the market by the end of the current year and keeping its price within Rs. 1 lakh.

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