Tamil Nadu’s South going North, lastly | Chennai Information

The much-hyped Nanguneri SEZ

When Tamil Nadu was gearing up for industrial investments from abroad marquee manufacturers and conglomerates within the Nineteen Nineties, post-liberalization, the state’s southern districts had been within the information for caste clashes.
Figuring out lack of employment alternatives as the basis trigger for such social disturbances, successive state governments labored to push industrial funding within the south. However with restricted success.
The muchhyped Nanguneri SEZ, for instance, by no means actually took off. However the tide is lastly turning. Plots in Sipcot’s Gangaikondan industrial property in Tirunelveli district are virtually bought out. Sipcot is now trying to purchase extra land in adjoining areas.
Indicators that the state’s push to get extra industrial investments within the southern area, particularly in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, is succeeding. The just lately inaugurated furnishings park in Tuticorin may transform a serious hub with each home and abroad gamers displaying curiosity.
And Gangaikondan is about to turn out to be the hub for ‘renewable’ manufacturing, with each Tata Energy and Vikram Photo voltaic planning huge investments. “If Tamil Nadu is to realize chief minister M Okay Stalin’s dream of turning into a $1 trillion financial system by 2030, the southern districts must play a major function.
There at the moment are new investments within the area as a result of authorities’s give attention to figuring out the core strengths of every district,” says Michael Motha, previous chairman, CII (Tuticorin). “Regardless of the closure of Sterlite Copper, the port at Tuticorin is a key driver for development. As soon as the `7,000-crore outer harbour undertaking is accomplished, the port may properly welcome mom vessels as a substitute of simply the feeder vessels, which now ship 65%-70% of cargo to Colombo.
It will save big prices and increase industries and exports. The just lately inaugurated 1,500-acre furnishings park is already displaying the way in which,” says Motha. Others see this latest spurt in investments within the south as a pure development. “For a while, the main target was on Chennai and Kancheepuram and that area attracted a lot of the investments.
The lopsided improvement resulted in Chennai bursting at its seams. Each area has its personal distinctive benefit and strengths to supply,” says Jaisinh Vaerkar, chairman, CII Madurai Zone. Dindigul and Theni are agro-based economies and provide loads of scope for worth addition and exports, he says. Madurai is an previous buying and selling hub, moreover turning into a producing base for rubberbased merchandise over the previous few many years.
Town has additionally attracted IT {hardware} and software program gamers akin to Honeywell, HCL and now Zoho, moreover a number of native IT corporations. Virudhunagar has the very best processing amenities for dal and cereals, moreover spices. Worth addition expands the potential for exports.
On its half, the state has been pushing industries to ascertain new models within the southern area, which affords huge extents of land at reasonably priced costs, moreover loads of each expert and unskilled manpower. “Vikram Photo voltaic, which initially established a small unit close to Chennai, was eager on increasing operations there. We pushed it to go south and even needed to provide barely larger incentives. Now the area will turn out to be a serious hub for renewable manufacturing, notably Photo voltaic PV, with different part suppliers becoming a member of them,” says Pooja Kulkarni, MD and CEO, Steerage TN.
“Neighbouring Virudhunagar district has seen a number of investments within the `400-`600 crore vary within the textile sector. We’re assured that it’ll get the mega textile park below the PM Mitra scheme. With garment models and even footwear models set to return up within the area because of availability of labour, the south is about for the long-awaited industrial funding surge,” she says.
The developments aren’t simply restricted to the massive industries; even MSMEs are pitching in. “Whereas Sidco is establishing a brand new industrial property at Sakkimangalam in Madurai district, we’re pushing the capital subsidy scheme for brand spanking new investments within the southern area.
Of the three regional startup hubs deliberate for the state, two will come up in Madurai and Tirunelveli. And, new clusters are set to emerge in Virudhunagar (ladies clothes), Madurai (toys), Tirunelveli (cookware) and Kanyakumari (wooden carvings),” says TN secretary for MSMEs V Arun Roy