India: Tata Motors Pulls Out of Bengal, Won't Build Tata People's Car There After Violence

SINGUR, West Bengal, India — Tata Motors won't build its 'people's car,' the under-$2,500 Nano, in this eastern India state after dealing with violent demonstrations since summer. Protests have been going on for several weeks over farmers' anger at what they feel were unfair land transfers to the company for the plant, the BBC News Service reported today.Ratan Tata, head of Tata Group, met with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya about the pullout and afterward told the BBC: 'We have little choice.... We cannot run a factory with police around all the time.' The plant's construction was stopped in August.Bengal Industry Minister Nirupam Sen was quoted by BBC News as calling the Tata plant cancellation 'a black day for Bengal' that will cause future trouble in getting investment to the state.The Nano had been scheduled for a launch this month, but the company's chief said no decision has been made on where else in India to build it now. Other regions of India reportedly were jumping at the chance to offer land tracts for the plant.What this means to you: The Nano may be delayed but surely will land somewhere before long. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent