Bangalore, 27 August 2008: Karnataka today joined several other states when it invited Tata Group to shift its small-car project from Singur to the Dharwad area in the state, where the firm already has a manufacturing plant.

Karnataka cabinet chaired by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, decided to invite Mr.Ratan Tata to consider shifting the project to Dharwad and expressed its willingness to provide additional land.

"We are ready to allot another 50 acres of land adjacent to the 900 acres of land already given to Tata in Dharwad," Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Shobha Karandlaje said.

Tata Motors owns an earth moving, construction equipment manufacturing and body building unit at Dharwad.

Earlier, Maharashtra, Orissa and Punjab have invited the Tatas to shift 'Nano' project to their respective states, after Ratan Tata threatened to pull it out of West Bengal following agitations by farmers and the opposition political parties under Mamta Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.

Ratan Tata had last week threatened to shut the Rs 1,500 crore project, citing continued protests and violence at the project site.

"If anybody is under impression that we have made Rs 1500 crore investment and will not move from the state, they are wrong. Whatever be the cost, we will move out if the situation demands so", Mr.Tata said.