Bhubaneswar, Oct 4 : Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday in a letter to Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata formally invited him to set up the “Nano” small car manufacturing unit in the state.

Patnaik asked Tata to utilise the company''s unused land at Gopalpur in Ganjam District and avail all facilities provided to investors under the Industrial Policy Resolution-2007.

The Chief Minister said, "I wonder why you are not considering setting up the project at Gopalpur in Orissa where you have in your possession about 3700 acres land since 1998."

While speaking in favour of the state, Patnaik said Gopalpur was located on the National Highway-5 and right on the rail route connecting Kolkata and Chennai.

Patnaik said: “Orissa had been a favourite destination for investors from across the globe in the mineral, IT and tourism sector,” and added, “For the past three years, the state has received the highest investment proposals in the country.”

Earlier, the leader of opposition J. B. Patnaik, during whose chief ministership, the land was awarded to the Tatas, had also invited the company to set up the project in the state.

On October 4, Ratan Tata formally announced his decision to pull-out the “Nano” project from Singur in West Bengal following a meeting with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata.

The Tata Motors chairman said that he was moving the project out of Singur because of the agitation by the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, and not because of any failure on the part of the West Bengal Government.

Besides Orissa, three-four other states have offered land to the Tatas to set-up the project in their states. (ANI)