Agencies

Singur, Sep 2: The shutdown at the Tata Motors small car project site continued for the fifth day on Tuesday as the management did not consider the atmosphere conducive for normal work with the Trinamool Congress dharna entering its tenth consecutive day.

"Our workers will not be reporting for work today", a Tata Motors official said.

Meanwhile, movement of vehicles on the Durgapur Express highway reduced this morning as more people were thronging the dharna site.

Work at Tata plant can resume: Mamata
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday scaled down her defiance and gave a go-ahead to the Tatas to resume work at the small-car factory that had come to a halt for the last four days.

Fearing security of the workers in the face of threats from agitators, Tatas had shut down the facility and even threatened to pull out their investment. ‘‘We want the work to resume in the factory. We are not against the Tatas. Let there be talks to resolve the impasse,’’ Mamata said.

The Trinamool chief also sent her emissary and leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Partha Chatterjee, to Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi to convey, among other things, that she was ready for talks over the return of land to the unwilling farmers.

She wants a panel comprising experts from various fields — legal and technical — as also those from the government, political parties and the company. A delegation from the larger forum, Krishi Jami O Jibika Raksha Committee, will meet the governor again on Wednesday.

Mamata’s supporters have surrounded the Nano plant, blocking traffic on the part of National Highway 2 which connects Kolkata to Delhi and threatening Tata engineers and executives. Even if work resumes early, it is unlikely that the Tatas will meet the October deadline for Nano.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was quick to grab this opportunity for resuming the dialogue. He will be calling an all-party meeting soon.