Kolkata: The state govt has begun talks with Tata Group to reach an out-of-court settlement in the pending Tata Motors arbitration case linked to the Singur land dispute. The move comes following Calcutta High Court’s refusal to stay the arbitration award in Tata Motors’ favour in May.HC had also directed the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) to submit an undertaking listing its immovable properties to secure payment of Rs 766 crore, along with 11% annual interest, payable as damages to Tata Motors.State govt sources told TOI that the industry secretary recently visited Mumbai to discuss the matter with Tata Group officials and that advocate general Surojit Nath Mitra was overseeing the case himself. A senior official said govt wants to resolve the dispute and is also interested in bringing a major industrial project to Singur, including a potential investment from Tata Group. “We have to resolve this issue at the earliest. It is very important for us. We are also keen to bring a big industry,” the official said.CM Suvendu Adhikari and industry minister Tapas Roy have repeated time and again that the state was keen to attract more investment from Tata Group.In Oct 2023, an arbitral tribunal directed WBIDC to pay Tata Motors Rs 766 crore as compensation for losses related to its manufacturing project in Singur. Tata Motors moved its Nano car plant from Singur to Gujarat’s Sanand in Oct 2008 following a prolonged land dispute. By then, the company had invested more than Rs 1,000 crore in the project.
