Singur row: German business teams ignore Kolkata

KOLKATA: Call it the Singur-Nandigram effect! At least nine German business delegations which are slated to visit India between now and December have not included Kolkata in their itinerary possibly in the wake of what Tatas are going through at Singur.
What is significant is that some of these delegations are from key German states of Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Baden-Wurttemberg, with whom the Buddha government has been trying to forge closer ties to transform Bengal into an automobile hub.
While Bavaria, the largest German state, is home to car major BMW, Lower Saxony boasts of being the headquarters of noted auto manufacturer Volkswagen. Baden-Wurttemberg is home to such famed names as Daimler and Porsche. "Last year, we had seven German delegations coming to Kolkata. Unfortunately, the current turbulence has put in grave doubt any immediate possibility of German businessmen/states making a beeline to this city over the next few months for establishing deeper business relationships," Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) regional director B G Roy said.
Roy said that information available with the chamber suggested that till December, German delegations would visit the usual places in India ��� Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Chennai.