Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Wednesday, Oct 01, 2003 |
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Industry & Economy
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Industry Associations Case for SEZ at Coimbatore Our Bureau
Coimbatore , Sept. 30 A REQUEST to the Union Commerce Ministry to play a proactive role in establishing a special economic zone (SEZ) in Coimbatore district to meet the requirements of entrepreneurs not only from this region but from other areas too has been made by the President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Coimbatore, Mr A. Sakthivel. He has expressed the view that the Union Government should play a pivotal role in the formation of an information technology park (ITP) in Coimbatore, which has a strong presence in engineering education and industry. Speaking at a function organised by ICCI here, in which the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, pariticpated, Mr Sakthivel said the region was the home to several reputed technical educational institutions and their wards had proved their mettle in the IT sector across the world. Though the region had the manpower and the people the entrepreneurial skill and investment capability for establishing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), such an initiative in the IT sector could not thrive without Government aid since the infrastructure costs were high. While industry was willing to contribute and the ICCI ready to play the role of a catalyst, Government support was needed to create the infrastructure required for the IT part in Coimbatore region. He said the Tirupur-Coimbatore corridor had two taluks with a vast stretch of arid land. Because of the strategic location, it was an ideal choice for development as SEZ. The proximity to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University also would enable the industrialists to establish agro-based and biotech units. He felt that since the region climatically was akin to Bangalore, there was potential to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). Though formation of SEZ was within the State's purview, he felt the Commerce Ministry could play a pro-active role with the Tamil Nadu Government to moot such a proposal for SEZ here. Mr Sakthivel, who is also the President of Tirupur Exporters' Association (TEA), said the foundry industry, a dominant sector in the region, was keen to develop as a cost-effective and hi-tech outsourcing hub for high-grade finished castings. He suggested that like the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) for the textile industry, a scheme with an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore may be formulated to help the foundry sector become globally competitive. Though technically, the Coimbatore airport has become international, it was not so in the true sense. The runway was not long enough for the landing of wide-bodied aircrafts and no cargo planes were allowed, There was no cargo terminal. The city also lacked convenient flight connections to Delhi and Mumbai both in the morning and evening, which hit the export business. The Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Singanallur railway station should be expanded and made operational.
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