Industrial activity in the Union Territory is likely to get a stimulus after the scheduled round table of Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy with members of the Manufacturing Association of Information Technology (MAIT) on January 29.
Members of MAIT, an apex body representing Information Technology hardware manufacturers, will hold discussions with the Chief Minister to assess the potential for setting up industrial units in the Union Territory.
On Monday, the Chief Minister held discussions with senior government officials to gather inputs on the industrial scenario as a precursor to the meeting with the MAIT delegation. Minister for Revenue M.O.H.F Shahjahan and Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar were present.
NITI Aayog nod
“The round table is held in coordination with the NITI Aayog. The Chief Minister held the preliminary meeting to gauge the views of the officials on the priority areas so that the government could present a wish list to the industrialists at the round table. We expect a positive momentum in the industrial sector after the round table,” a senior official told The Hindu .
Since Mr. Narayanasamy-led Ministry assumed office, the government had been trying to push industrial growth citing its land bank, including 303 hectares of land acquired for establishing a special economic zone in the revenue districts of Sedarapet and Karasur that is lying idle.
The government is keen on utilising this land as otherwise it will have to returning the land to the original as per a Supreme Court ruling.
Around 26 acres of land identified for setting up a truck terminal at Mettupalyam also remains unused for the last several years.
The government had spent ₹74 crore for acquiring the land in Sedarapet-Karasur area.
The Revenue Department, after acquiring the land, had transferred it to the Puducherry Industrial Promotion Development and Investment Corporation for setting up SEZ. But the project did not take off as the Centre cancelled the SEZ because the land was not in a contiguous area.
Centre’s order
The Centre had directed PIPDIC to return the land to the Industries Department. At a Cabinet meeting on February 6, 2017, the government recommended that the land be returned to the PIPDIC with a condition that it will not be used for SEZ purpose, an official said.
However, the Lt. Governor kept the decision in abeyance considering the controversy the project had courted in the past.
The Chief Minister had appealed to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs seeking permission revert the land to PIPDIC.
The government is awaiting a response from the Centre for taking the next step in the matter, said an official.
