Wed, 06:24 29 Oct 2008 GMT17

 

FACTBOX-Disputed industrial projects in India
03 Oct 2008 14:12:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
Oct 3 (Reuters) - India's Tata Motors Ltd <TAMO.BO> will move the factory for its low-cost Nano car out of West Bengal state after violent protests by farmers who lost land forced it to stop construction work last month, its chairman said on Friday. See [ID:nDEL240155]

The protests reflect a larger standoff between industry and farmers unwilling to surrender land in a country where two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for a living.

Here are five large industrial projects that have been wracked by protests in India recently:

- Tata Motors' plant in Singur, West Bengal, in which the company had invested about $350 million for an initial capacity to build 250,000 cars, was shut on Sept. 2 after protests by farmers unhappy with the compensation given for their land and who were backed by the state's main opposition party.

- In August the Supreme Court gave South Korean steel firm POSCO <005490.KS> the use of large swathes of forest land in the eastern state of Orissa for a $12 billion plant that protesting farmers said would displace thousands of people.

The protests delayed the start of construction on the plant, which could be India's single biggest foreign investment to date.

- The Supreme Court in the same month allowed Vedanta Resources Plc <VED.L> to mine bauxite in hills considered sacred by tribal people in Orissa. The mining will feed an alumina refinery, part of an $800 million project that has been widely opposed.

Environmentalists say the open-cast mine will wreck the rich biodiversity of the remote hills and disrupt key water sources vital for farming.

- Goa state, famous for its beaches and tourist industry, in January dropped plans to build special economic zones for industry after protests from political and environmental groups.

- West Bengal last year aborted a plan for a special economic zone (SEZ) for a chemicals complex in Nandigram after fierce protests. At least 35 villagers were killed in clashes between locals and communist party workers and the state government put all SEZs on hold in the state. (Compiled by Rina Chandran; editing by Mark Williams and Roger Crabb)
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Protesters burn effigy of Tamil Tiger leader during a demonstration in Colombo October 28, 2008. Hundreds of demonstrators from pro-government and anti-Tamil Tiger organizations in Colombo demanded for the Indian government ...



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