After the Fairmont Hotels of Toronto who has pulled out from Calcutta, it is the turn of the native Information Technology giants Infosys and Wipro who appears to be on the pullout contemplation as per the warning flashed by them over Singur.
Ripples of Singur stalemate echoing on Bengal’s big-ticket investments were felt when T.V.M.Pai, director (human resources) in the Infosys, the forerunner of Indian IT sector saying, “Singur has changed everything. If land promised by a state government cannot be handed over to a corporate house because some people are out to settle political scores, then it is not a climate which can bring in investment in the state,” Infosys hinted that they are doing a rethink on its proposed IT hub in the New Town area of Calcutta.
Pai’s tough warning followed days after Infosys Chairman N.R.Narayan Murty said that the agitation in Singur over land acquisition would instill fear and uncertainty in the minds of Indian as well as overseas investors.
Infosys is set to invest Rs.500 crore (125 million USD) in Bengal as their maiden investment, which is likely to employ 5000 people. Another IT titan Wipro has also committed to invest a similar amount over next three four years with the same employment potential on a ninety acres campus. They too have become apprehensive of the situation now.
Meanwhile rallying behind Tata Motors, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) said that the there was “it was concerned that devil is in the details (of the agreement reached between Mamata and government) and an all round settlement is needed which would be a win-win for the government, the opposition, Tatas, the ancillary units, vendors and the farmers.”