Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s plan for an indefinite blockade at the Singur plant of Tata Motors from August 24 has generated serious concerns among the industry and business lobby here.

Right now, Tata Motors is racing against time to meet the October deadline for Nano. Should Mamata insist on a showdown, the company’s time frame may go haywire. Industrialists say that this would reflect badly on the overall business environment in West Bengal and as a result, not only the Tatas, others would suffer too.

The state Government, the industry, and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee have all, in the past weeks, made repeated appeals to Mamata to sort out differences through negotiation and not upset the progress of the plant which might jeopardise the interests of the state. On Monday, the CM invited her for talks and again stressed the importance of the project for the state.

The industry is also trying to put an indirect pressure on her. On August 19, it will be a rare occasion, when responding to the invitation from several chambers of commerce — representing a cross section of industry in Bengal — Mamata will participate in an interactive session.

The Trinamool chief, however, is in no mood to let go of the land issue with Lok Sabha elections round the corner. Her party’s Singur Krishi Jami Raksha Committee is preparing for a show of strength with 200,000 people and 21 points of blockade along the Tata Motors plant. Mamata is demanding that Tata and the state Government return 400 acres of land for which farmers have not taken their compensation. This land, she claims, the company has in excess of its requirement.

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