The Tatas ventured into this project almost the same time as that in Singur. The company commenced production in 2009. It has a turnover of Rs 3,000 crore. Significantly, of the 600 employees, 80 per cent are those who gave land to the government for this factory.

“We do not call them land losers. They are land givers who are now part of the company’s workforce,” said Ranveer Sinha, managing director of Tata Telcon, now known as Tata-Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Ltd with the Japanese firm taking over 60 per cent of the share.

Angshuman Patra, a 30-plus assistant supervisor, said his father had given his land for the factory. “I am earning 50 per cent more than what my land was generating,” he said.

Similar were the views of Papiya Das and Soma Ghosh. “After my father passed away, my mother and uncle sold our land in 2007. When I joined Telcon in June 2010 and was trained at Jamshedpur and Kolkata, I knew that my BA degree will not be wasted. I have been working as an office supervisor since then,” said Papiya. Soma, a postgraduate, is one of the beneficiaries.