On any other day, the swanky Durgapur Express Highway is a picture of calm efficiency, with trucks rumbling down this four-lane expressway which connects West Bengal with India's main arteries. It's rare, say the locals, to see a car on the 4.5-km-long stretch that outlines Tata Motors' Nano facility, nestled amidst lush, green fields at Singur, some 40-45 km off Calcutta.

IT was a power dinner. But it was soon to become a power-hungry one. Early September, Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar hosted a dinner for Intel chairman Craig Barrett during his ninth visit to India. A few high-profile cabinet ministers like FM P. Chidambaram and aviation minister Praful Patel were present on the occasion.