The Tiruchi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries' Association (TIDITSSIA) has urged the Ministry of Railways to consider establishing a manufacturing unit of Integral Coach Factory in Tiruchi.
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The excess land available on the Golden Rock Railway Workshop premises can be utilised for expansion of ICF, according to TIDITSSIA president R. Ilango.
Establishing such a facility in Tiruchi will help in generating thousands of jobs and rejuvenating ailing ancillaries of BHEL Tiruchi. Due to dwindling orders from BHEL, the ancillaries are turning sick. There must be a system of minimum guaranteed order in place for sustenance of production units, he has said.
At a recent general body meeting of the association, a resolution was adopted urging the Central government to reduce income tax for tiny and small industries from 30 to 20%.
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Turnover limit for small units must be fixed at one crore rupees for levy of GST, and job orders must be taken out of the purview of GST, another resolution said.
Thanking the State government for sanctioning funds for establishment of a food park in 200 acres in the 1,055-acre earmarked for SIPCOT industrial estate, Mr. Ilango emphasised that sites must be allotted to production units at concessional rates.
It was informed during the meeting that a Special Purpose Vehicle, Tiruchi Trade Centre Private Limited, has been formed, and SIDCO was thanked for sanctioning allotment of 10 acres for the trade centre in its capacity as a nodal agent.
The speakers underscored the need for specialised skill training to equip the workforce for manufacture of components for defence equipment. They sought priority for TIDITSSIA for imparting training to prospective entrepreneurs identified under UYEGP (Unemployed Youth Employment Guarantee Programme), Prime Ministers Employment Guarantee Programme, and the new Entrepreneur cum Enterprise Development Scheme (NEEDS).
Citing increasing traffic congestion, the meeting also called for establishing an integrated bus stand in Tiruchi.
The left-out stretches of the semi-ring road connecting Karur, Dindigul, Madurai, Pudukottai, and Thanjavur must be completed at the earliest, TIDITSSIA emphasised, citing its utility for the upcoming trade centre near Panchapur.
The meeting also called for train and air connectivity to Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru from or via Tiruchi.