Tata Motors to get land from Karnataka in Dharwad

Bangalore: Tata Motors, a Tata Group company, is likely to get land from the government of Karnataka at Dharwad to set up a new facility to manufacture and assemble buses and coaches. Tata Motors plans to invest over Rs1,000 crore in this plant.

Government officials said the company had submitted a proposal in this regard to the state government in September 2006, which will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting of the government.

Tata Motors already has a unit, Telcon that manufactures construction equipment, set up a decade ago at Belur industrial growth centre, about 10 km from Dharwad on National Highway No 4. The company had acquired 680 acres of land. They said Tata Motors has also proposed providing employment to 30,000 people in north Karnataka. The company plans to manufacture 10,000 buses every year.

Tata Motors had announced a joint venture with Marcopolo, the Brazil-based global leader in body building and coaches, in May 2006.