Tatas get extra land for Nano at Uttarakhand

Tata Motors' delayed Nano project has got a boost with the Uttarakhand government providing the company an additional 45 acres of land at its Pantnagar facility.

"The state government has taken a decision to provide 45 acres of land to the Tata Group at Pantnagar, where it is already manufacturing Ace (mini) trucks and few parts of the Nano," State Chief Secretary I K Pandey said.

The decision was taken at a high-powered meeting held chaired recently by the state Chief Minister B C Khanduri, he added.

Tata Motors was given 955 acres of land for its Ace truck plant at Pantnagar by the previous Congress government. The company was promised a total 1,000 acres but has been allotted only 955 acres, Pandey added.

The allotment is expected to help the company in rolling out the world's least priced car at Rs one lakh, after delays due to the Singur imbroglio.

The company had to shift the mother plant to Sanand in Gujarat from Singur, where it was originally planned due to opposition from Trinamool Congress over land acquisition.

It had planned to invest Rs 1,500 crore at Singur but the investment was increased to Rs 2,000 crore, when it shifted to Sanand.

The Nano was originally planned to be commercially launched around Durga Puja this year but has been postponed to the last quarter of this fiscal. The company is planning to produce the Nano from its various locations, including Pune and Pantnagar till the mother plant at Sanand is ready.