Kolkata, September 1
Tata Industries chairman Ratan Tata said here today that after their odd experience at Singur, they had no plan to make any new investments in West Bengal in the near future.

He said he was ready to return the Singur land to the state government if the money Tata Motors had already spent for the setting up of the Nano car project there was returned to them. “We do not want to sit on the land. We will return it if the state government compensates us for the investments made there,” he said.

The business baron was responding to several questions raised by shareholders at the annual general meeting of Tata Tea Company. He said they had spent about Rs 500 crore on the Nano project and infrastructure development at Singur.

This was Ratan Tata’s first visit to Kolkata after the shifting of the Nano project from Singur to Gujarat last year in the face of agitation and stiff resistance by Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress, the Congress and others had protested against the use of farm land for the project.

Replying to a question on Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plan to utilise about 600 acres of Singur land for a railway coach factory, he said the land did not belong to her and then how could she build a coach factory there? He had no desire to meet her, he said.

He, however, said, “West Bengal remains close to our hearts. Whatever happened has happened. One incident is not major in the life of a corporate entity.” He then hastened to add, “I am talking on behalf of the Tata group.”

Regarding the cancer hospital coming up at New Town, near Rajarhat, Tata said it was expected to be opened by March, 2010. “This is one indication about our contribution to this part of the country.” 

He said the hospital would have 50 per cent free beds and 50 per cent paid beds and would have a state-of-the-art cancer research centre. “It will make West Bengal proud,” he added.

When a shareholder asked if the Tata group was making contribution to the communists, he said the group made contributions from its electoral trust to all political parties depending upon the seats won by them on the basis of a specific formula. “We do not make any discrimination,” he said.