Post-Singur Reset: Tata Group explores new opportunities in West Bengal, N Chandrasekaran meets Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee posted on X that the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) had sanctioned Phase II of the TCS office project at Bengal Silicon Valley.

Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran on Wednesday met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat to explore potential investment opportunities in the state.

In a post on X, the Trinamool Congress, led by Banerjee, said she hosted Chandrasekaran for a meeting centred on West Bengal’s industrial progress.

“The meeting reflected the positive outlook of both sides on future partnership opportunities that drive innovation, create employment, and inclusive development,” the party said.

The interaction was described as an exclusive discussion focusing on the state’s long-term business prospects. This was the first time the Tata Group chairman and the West Bengal chief minister held such a meeting.

Banerjee, during a press conference on Tuesday, had mentioned that she had invited Chandrasekaran to attend the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) held in November. However, he had been unable to attend.

She said they had a detailed conversation on the eve of the summit. “He has assured me that they want to invest more and more in Bengal. And he will come to Bengal very soon and discuss (things) in detail,” she had said.

Banerjee also reiterated her earlier request for a direct flight connecting Kolkata to Europe.

The Singur episode is widely believed to have played a key role in influencing the outcome of the 2011 West Bengal Assembly elections, when the Trinamool Congress came to power, ending the Left Front’s 34-year rule.

Despite the Singur developments, the Tata Group has continued its presence in West Bengal through companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Steel, and Tata Hitachi. TCS, which has been significantly expanding its footprint, has taken up 20 acres at the Bengal Silicon Valley in New Town, Rajarhat, a fast-growing IT hub in eastern Kolkata.

Banerjee posted on X that the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) had sanctioned Phase II of the TCS office project at Bengal Silicon Valley.

The upcoming facility will be a 90,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art building with world-class infrastructure, including an IT/ITES facility, and is expected to create employment for 5,000 people.

Banerjee further added that once fully operational, the project is projected to generate 20,000 more jobs, as she shared on X.