West Bengal Finance and Industry Minister Amit Mitra heaps praise on Tata group

KOLKATA: After burning bridges with the Tatas over the abandoned Nano car project, Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government today appeared to be in a reconciliatory mode with state Finance and Industry Minister Amit Mitra heaping praise on the Tata group.

"It is heartening to note that the Tatas are providing employment to 35,000 people in the state," Mitra said at a CII event here.

TCS is also creating 20,000 new jobs at its new campus, he said.

Mitra said the government had asked for suggestions on developing the infrastructure around Tata Hitachi and Tata Metaliks in Kharagpur.

Referring to the setting up of Tatanagar during British rule, Mitra said that it is a market creation vision of the Tatas which led to the creation of the steel plant.

"The British had said at that point of time that they (Tatas) will have to eat every pound of rail they will produce as there will be no takers," he said.

At that time, the British was planning to lay railway lines across the country and the Tatas wanted to participate by making rails.