Farmers in Sanand welcome Tata's Nano project

AHMEDABAD: Farmers in villages adjoining Gujarat's Sanand have welcomed Tatas decision to relocate the Rs one lakh Nano car project there and appeared ready to give their land for construction of approach roads to the site.

After scouting many sites in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the Tatas decided to set up the project at Sanand, near here, where the state government will give 1,000 acres land from the Anand Agricultural University (AAU).

"We welcome Tatas for setting up their Nano car plant in the state. There is no trace of objection from farmers of the villages around the site," Bharatbhai Vaghela, a farmer of Kalana village which is near to the AAU farm said.

"Farmers are even ready to give their land for approach roads to the site of AAU," Vaghela said, adding this is good for the area and the state.

"I am glad to make the sacrifice of my land for the Tatas project," another farmer turn industrialist Ravubhai Vaghela, who holds substantial land in Khoda and Naranpur village from where the approach road to the site is likely to pass, said.

The new project site was finalised on Monday evening and a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) between the Tatas and state government will be signed later in the day.

The site, just 30 kms from city, will be an ideal place for the Tatas as it has close connectivity to National Highway 8 connecting Rajkot and Ahmedabad.

Tatas Nano project faced a lot of resistance from farmers in Singur in West Bengal.

The site is also near the proposed Dholera port to be set up as part of the industrial development project as part of the implementation of Delhi Mumbai freight corridor, officials said, adding it will help Tatas in future to export the car.

It is also near to Rajkot where some of the components for the Nano car plants are prepared by ancillary units, they said while noting that local people at Sanand are happy as they think the project will revive the economy of the region.

The immediate fallout of the project coming to Sanand will be increase in land prices and it will benefit farmers surrounding the plant a lot,  Bharat Vaghela said.

Also the local people hope to get jobs in the huge plant, he said.

Expectations are also high among landless labourers of the villages around the site.

We expect to get jobs in the Nano car plant. If the project gives jobs to the landless labourers then it is very good for the entire area,  Hiteshkumar Kedarsinh, a landless labourer working in the land of Virendrasinh Vaghela said.

The land which is being offered to Tatas is farmland of AAU which was being used to grow grass.

The AAU has already transferred the land to the state government for handing over around 1,000 acres to the Tatas, officials of the university said.