Tiruchi industry body seeks incentives to revive units

‘Tiruchi can be second capital of the State due to its location’

Seeking a slew of infrastructure development to foster industrial growth in Tiruchi, the Tiruchi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries’ Association (TIDITSSIA) has urged the State government to set up a trade centre in the city.

A trade centre on the lines of the one in Pune is an essential requirement of the industry in Tiruchi. The centre could help attract foreign investments to the city, said a resolution adopted at the general council meeting of the association held here recently with T. Raju Rebero, president, in the chair.

Referring to the proposal mooted during the tenure of the former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran to make Tiruchi the second capital of the State, the association suggested that the government implement the plan so that Tiruchi, by virtue of its central location, got its due in terms of development.

The government should establish a pay-and-use truck terminal for heavy trucks and augmented vehicles along the Tiruchi-Thanjavur Highway. It will help industries in the Thuvakudi region which attract a large number of heavy vehicles transporting goods.

There should be a godown to meet the requirements of fabrication industries and could be maintained by the SIDCO.

The Karaikal port should be made a state-of-the-art one with all modern facilities and a six-lane highway should be laid between Coimbatore and the port via Tiruchi. The highway could be made into an industrial corridor to promote industrial growth along with it.

To prevent migration of people from villages to city, special schemes to foster industries in villages along the corridor should be implemented, the association said.

Seeking a series of steps to revive tiny and small industries in the wake of economic slowdown, the association urged the government to direct banks to extend working capital loans to tiny and small industries without insisting on collateral.

The repayment term for working capital loans should be extended.

Although the district industries centres had been continued problems remain in getting approvals for new industrial ventures under the single window clearance system. All approvals for new ventures should be provided at the district level.

The association requested the government to extend 80 per cent subsidy for small industries for putting up solar energy systems to meet their power requirements.