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Representatives of the Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) have met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to explore boosting trade and commerce between Kerala’s capital and Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli, neighbouring southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
Stalin extended a promise to the visiting TCCI team that his Government would improve infrastructure and consider favourable policy intervention to boost trade and commerce between Thiruvananthapuram and the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
Industrial corridor mooted
SN Raghuchandran Nair, President of TCCI, said that his team requested the Government of Tamil Nadu to create an industrial corridor connecting Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari with Thiruvananthapuram with particular emphasis on agro, marine, green energy-based industries and the MSME sector.
“An industrial corridor will spruce up economic activity in the region, and create thousands of new jobs on either side of the border. TCCI has offered to coordinate various constituents of the industry.”
Four-laning of border roads
The Chief Minister has also promised to make effective interventions to ensure that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) does not foreclose the two projects of four-laning of the stretch linking Kerala-Tamil Nadu Border with Kanyakumari, for any reason.
The TCCI team highlighted the need for a road bypassing the gridlock at Nagercoil. According to Nair, there have been reports suggesting that the NHAI has listed projects for potential foreclosure, including two projects of four-laning the stretch from Tamil Nadu-Kerala Border to Kanyakumari.
Reviving AVM Canal
Apart from Nair, the team included B Govindan, Vice-President, and Abraham Thomas, Secretary of TCCI. It was joined by Vishnu Sachiv, Tamil Nadu coordinator of TCCI, industrialist E Lakshmanan, and S Krishnan, Additional Chief Secretary for Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu has agreed to look into launching a project to revive the Anantha-Victoria-Marthandam (AVM) Canal and make it navigable to ease freight movement, Nair said.
The AVM canal was conceived as a water link between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari in the late 1800s, but has not been in use for long. It could significantly promote regional tourism prospects.
Collection centre, warehouse
Abraham Thomas said that the visiting TCCI team requested that the Chief Minister set up a centralised collection point and warehouse for vegetables at Kaliyikkavila on the inter-state border.
“This will help Tamil Nadu farmers supply produce directly at the points and reduce hassles of transportation from production hubs such as Theni. We hope this helps reduce price", he added.
TCCI also mooted a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for jewellery making and export in Nanguneri.
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