Kolkata, August 29
Mamata Banerjee’s “peaceful dharna and agitation” in front of the Tata Motors plant at Singur for the sixth day today had an effect on other areas, where a large number of people, fighting for the farmers’ cause organised massive “chakka-jam” demonstrations between 4 pm and 5 pm, paralysing the entire movement of traffic.
Meanwhile, a new situation developed at the Tata Motors plant today where all work was suspended following the non-attendance of the Tata Motors’ employees, contractors and labourers, some of whom were
obstructed at the time of reporting for duty yesterday by the demonstrators led by social activist Anuradha Talwar.
The Calcutta High Court today directed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the state government to jointly work and peacefully organise normal flow of traffic on the Durgapur highway by clearing all stranded trucks and other vehicles, carrying essential goods and medicines. The
trucks have been stranded for the last few days on the highway following the farmers agitation at Singur. The order was given by the Justice Nadera Patherya.
In a separate PIL case moved by one Ranapratap Sarker, Chief Justice S.S. Nirhar’s division
bench, which included Justice Dipankar Dutt, also directed the state government to normalise the road movement on the Durgapur highway by peaceful resolution of the problems.
There was no official communiqué from the Tata Motors’ side today about no work at the plant. Industries department officials said the Tata Motors authorities were reluctant to run the plant in these uncertain and unusual circumstances. The Tata Motors Managing Director Ravi Kant also informed the state government that they would stop functioning till the situation was normalised.
They also told the government that they would wait for some more time before finally deciding to move out of Singur.
A few absentee Tata Motors employees said they did not attend work because there were no pick-up buses sent for them. The labourers engaged by the private contractors said they had been asked not to come to the factory till the situation had normalised.
Anuradha Talwar, however, denied today they had put any resistance or obstruction to any employees or workers during their “peaceful demonstrations” yesterday. They had requested the employees to stop coming to the factory from tomorrow and instead appealed to them to join their movement in support of farmers. She claimed today most of the employees responded to their appeal and they did not report for duty. “It is our moral victory and we are thankful to the Tata Motors employees and workers for responding to the farmers cause”, she remarked.
