West Bengal government in talks with Tata group for fresh investments: Industry Minister Tapas Roy

Kolkata, The West Bengal government is in talks with the Tata group to bring fresh investments to the state, Industry Minister Tapas Roy said on Sunday.

Tata Motors had pulled out of Singur in October 2008 and moved its Nano car project to Sanand in Gujarat following a prolonged agitation against land acquisition led by TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.

"We are in touch with Tata, discussions are ongoing to bring them to the state," Roy said.


The Tata group has businesses in several sectors in West Bengal, including IT services, metals, hospitality and retail.

"The Tata group has many businesses other than the automobile sector. It is being explored if they want to expand these or start new units," he said.

Asked about the payment of the arbitral award, along with interest, to Tata Motors by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) as the company had to abandon the Singur project, Roy declined to comment.

"The state needs to contemplate such issues," he said.

An arbitral tribunal had on October 30, 2023, awarded Tata Motors Rs 765.78 crore, along with interest at 11 per cent per annum, in connection with its withdrawal from the Singur project.

Roy said the previous TMC government had left the BJP government with the liability of paying the amount along with interest.

Asked how the state government planned to make the payment, he said, "I will not comment on that, and it is not the time to say that either.

The WBIDC had challenged the arbitral award before the Calcutta High Court in February this year, when the TMC was in power.