Low attendance at Singur plant

Mamata’s ally Anuradha Talwar, who heads an NGO fighting for farmers rights, blocked the entry of a Tata Motors vehicle at Gate No 4. Talwar's NGO is part of a 21-member front created by Mamata. In the evening, more than 200 construction workers and engineers were stranded inside the plant as their exit route was blocked by activists. Earlier, in the day, some Trinamool supporters had tried to barge into the factory from the same gate but were stopped by the security and the police.

The Government’s hands-off stand was made clear by Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb, who said the police will not apply force. “fPeople will have to wait,” Deb said, referring to the stalled traffic on the Expressway. Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborti said the situation is grave.

Sources at the project warned that the October deadline is being jeopardised by the “constant decline in attendance of contractual labourers”, which has now dropped to 15 per cent.

With Mamata's dharna blocking the key Durgapur Expressway, which is part of National Highway 2 linking Kolkata to Delhi and north India, thousands of trucks and other vehicles remained stranded for the fifth day.

On Thursday, a Kolkata resident filed a public interest litigation in the Calcutta High Court, calling on the court to direct the state and the National Highway Authority of India to ensure free flow of traffic on the expressway. The court admitted the PIL and has listed it for hearing Friday.

State CPI(M) secretary Biman Bose pointed out that the Mamata's dharna is not peaceful anymore. "We want her agitation to be peaceful," Bose told reporters, adding that Mamata should discuss her issues with the state.