SINGUR: Residents in Singur in West Bengal, who were once unhappy with setting up of the Tata factory in their area, are today thanking the authorities for having opened up new earning avenues for them.
They working as daily labourers around the factory are happy to earn a respectable livelihood through various employment avenues generated by the factory.
"Earlier, I was into farming, but now I have bought a car which is though broken but has giving me better earning than before. Now my per-day earning is 70-100 rupees," said Anil, a van driver.
More than 200 people are employed in driving motorized vans around the factory and earning about 80-120 rupees a day.
The roadside vendors outside the factory are also reaping benefits out of it.
"Earlier, I used to sell potatoes. Now with the opening of the Tata factory, I have opened a tea stall here and my earning has improved. Similar shops have also come up in the area," said Gokul Pal, a tea vendor.
Some of the youths in the area who did a course from Industrial Training Institute enrolled for special training courses provided by Tata Motors and were later absorbed by the company. They are hopeful of many more job opportunities once the ancillary units of the plant are ready to roll.
"After coming up of the Tata plant, the rates of the land here have increased considerably. The youths of the area are now getting jobs. We are expecting that in coming days more such jobs will be created. The vacant houses nearby have all been occupied so overall the factory has opened up avenues of earning for lot of people," Saugata Roy, a youth.
Tata Motors started to build its factory in Singur in January 2007 to make the world''s cheapest car.
The much awaited one-lakh rupee car, Nano, was unveiled by Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata in New Delhi in January this year, and it is likely to hit roads by October.
But the project, which has become a test case for the ruling Communists party in West Bengal, has had some farmers declaring that the government took their land against their will. There have been regular protests in West Bengal this year over the acquisition of agriculture land for industry.
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