Lack of industrial peace in West Bengal creating hurdle in doing business: Tata Hitachi

KOLKATA: Tata Hitachi, which has a manufacturing facility in West Bengal, today expressed concern over lack of " industrial peace" in the state and said it is creating a hurdle in doing business.

During an interactive session with state Industry and Finance Minister Amit Mitra here, the company's head of HR and CSR, Indu Singh said industrial peace is lacking in Kharagpur which is becoming a hurdle in operating.

"Industrial peace is difficult to find here," she said.

Earlier, Mitra said the quelling of LWE (Left Wing Extremism) activity in the state has brought much-needed peace in the affected areas.

Taking a cue from that, Singh said "The minister is probably talking about industrial peace which is definitely lacking."

She said the company is facing great obstacles in dealing with the contract labourers. "This problem is giving trouble. You can see this here and not in other states."

Tata Hitachi has plants in Kharagpur (West Bengal), Jharkhand and Karnataka.

Singh said recently an issue was brought to the attention of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee which was resolved immediately after her intervention.

To this, Mitra said there could be "some aberrations" and urged the industry to bring it to the notice of the government if any such problems crop up. "I assure you that necessary interventions will be made."

Meanwhile, Cisco Director (India and SAARC), Amit Malik voiced discontent that the state government is not supporting the culture of start-ups here.

He said with the kind of intellectual capital available here, the state can give Bangalore a run for its money.