The Hindu Business Line : Tap potential for power plants in Ramanathapuram

The Government must come forward to tap the potential for establishing more gas-based power plants in the eastern side of the Ramanathapuram district in south Tamil Nadu, Mr Gupta R. Govindarajan, Secretary, Ramanathapuram District Chamber of Commerce, said.

The potential for these gas-based power plants stem from the availability of huge reserves of natural gas. Mr Gupta has prepared a document containing information on natural resources and methods to utilise them for industrial growth in the district.

Untold potential

According to Mr Gupta, the district with its nearly 250-km long seashore could be transformed into a centre for iodised-salt production. The industry's requirement of barium salt for purification could be manufactured by tapping into the huge reserves of natural gas available. Already a few private entrepreneurs and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board have started power production using this process.

Roadblocks

The development of this backward district is hampered by the Government's stand that the eastern area of Ramanathapuram is part of the Vaigai river stream. On this ground, the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board rejects applications by entrepreneurs for issue of No-Objection Certificate to start industries beyond the eastern part of Ramanathapuram. There is a need for issuing an immediate notification removing these areas from the purview of the Vaigai river stream, he said.

The East Coast Road (ECR) works, broad gauge conversion works by the Railways and the proposal to establish a small harbour at Rameswaram point to a flourishing future for the trade and industry in the district. The Government should also come forward to establish an industrial estate near the ECR in Ramanathapuram to woo the industrialists, he added.

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