Orissa also hinted that it would welcome Tata Motors to set up its small-car plant in the state, although an existing steel project of the Tata group has suffered violence similar to what plagues the Nano project in West Bengal.
"If they approach us we will see. We have always welcomed big industries as they provide employment to youths and generate revenue for the state," Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters in Bhubaneswar.
Tata Steel's Kalinga Nagar project site in the state was the scene of violent protests in 2006, when locals resisted the setting up of the steel factory.
Opposition Congress leader in the state J B Patnaik, gave an open invitation to the Tatas to set up their small car project at Gopalpur in Orissa's Ganjam district.
Image: Odissi dancers practice their routine in front of Konark's Sun Temple some 60 kms south of Bhubaneswar | Photograph: Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images
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