AID - Tata Car Factory in Singur Inefficient Compared to European Standards.

In the name of development, people are being displaced without proper relief'

We write to express our opposition to the 997 acres of agricultural land being acquired for Tata's car factory at Singur, which does not compare favourably with world standards for land usage. For example, in May 2005, Toyota-Peugeot inaugarated a car factory near Prague that produces 300,000 cars/year and spans an area of 124 ha (306 Acres). The Toyota press release boasted: "It's built-up area of a mere 21 ha is viewed by the automobile industry as a record-breaking low. Modern and compact, this work of architecture requires very low levels of energy consumption to operate technology and run the plant."

If anything a car factory in India should have more efficient land-use than in a European country owing to our population. The Tata's have said they will make 250,000 cars by 2008. Even if the Tata's were planning for 500,000 cars/year, the area needed would be only about 500 acres, using the Toyota's european standards.

However we should be able to do the Tata factory in much smaller area. In a Eurpoean country there may be so much open space that having a 1:6 ratio between built up and total area, as is the case with the Toyota factory in Czechoslavakia, may be acceptable. But why should India's prime agricultural farmland that feeds a starving nation be so sacrificed? What is going to be the built-up area of the Tata's factory at Singur? How do you justify the 997 acres being acquired as being in public interest?
We request you to address our questions and strongly urge you not to sacrifice agricultural land of Singur for a highly inefficient land-guzzling car factory being planned by Tatas.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ravi Kuchimanchi, Mumbai Phone: 022-25566703
Prof. Om Damani, IIT-Bombay Phone (mobile): 09323003401
Satabdi Das, Software Professional, Kolkata (mobile) 9830255001.
Rahul Chauhan, Software Professional, Kolkata
Debamitro Chakraborti, Software Professional, Kolkata   09911362364
Deepak Dhamija, Student, Kolkata
Prof. Rukmini Dey, Harishchandra Research Institute, Allahabad
Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar, Harishchandra Research Institute, Allahabad
Chandrika Ramanujam Chennai
Aravinda Pillalamarri, Mumbai
Nirveek Bhattacharya, Student, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, USA.
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AID-India Chennai Office:  New No. 34, Rathnam Street, Gopalapuram, Chennai - 600 086
Association for India's Development website: www.aidindia.org