TO ENSURE HYGIENE: Solar fish drier being commissioned at Vellaipatti near Tuticorin on Friday./ Photo: N. Rajesh / The Hindu
“Venture is expected to improve livelihood of SHG members”
To prepare dry fish in a hygienic manner, a solar fish drier was commissioned at Vellaipatti near here on Friday.
As drying of fishes was being done in an unhygienic way by spreading them on the ground, the district administration had given its nod for the installation of a solar fish drier at a cost of Rs. 1.70 lakh under District Innovative Fund.
Accordingly, the drier has been installed in Vellaipatti under Keezha Arasadi Panchayat near Tuticorin and was formally commissioned by A. Bella, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency, on Friday.
The drier will be maintained by Sarojini Self-Help Group members of Vellaipatti.
When fishes are dried in an open place, it will not be a hygienic product due to contamination by vermin, dust particles, sand, bacteria and other harmful contaminants and not fit for safe consumption.
At the same time, drying fishes with the help of solar drier is an easy, cost-effective and hygienic and the product will be free from all contaminants.
Since the 20-odd SHGs at Vellaipatti were already involved in the production of fish, prawn and crabpickle and mending fishnet, the solar fish drier was sanctioned to this coastal village.
“Fishes dried in this method can easily be sold through shops, exhibitions and even be exported. Ultimately, this venture will improve the livelihood of SHG members,” Ms. Bella said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Special Correspondent / Tuticorin – March 01st, 2014
Located in a quaint corner off one of the busiest roads in T Nagar is Sre Chinnadurai Hotel that offers authentic Chettinad cuisine.
Get a taste of Chettinad cuisine
The place has all the trappings to give it the Chettinad ‘look’, with a thinnai, marble flooring, Chettinad carved pillars and heavy furniture. The ambience is that of an old village style house that reminds one of a simpler life without all the gadgets surrounding us. Welcoming everyone at the table is one small glass of ‘milagu rasam’ or pepper soup, garnished with garlic, ginger and a few select spices. It is refreshingly warm and goes down the throat without qualms.
Their menu is what separates them from other outlets offering Chettinad cuisine. All their spices are homemade (they use their own spices) and for things that they cannot find here, they source it out from authentic Chettinad regions of Tamil Nadu. The chefs behind the hand-crafted menu are Chef Balu and Chef Vimal who take turns to dish out the sumptuous food at the hotel. Apart from the menu that they have every day, the everyday specials change to give the customer that surprise element. Their chefs are professionals blessed with excellent taste and creative bent of mind. The restaurant has a royal kitchen open to serve customers with love and affection.
The signature Chettinad specials in the menu occupy a whole section of the menu and offer a gastronomic journey into the Chettinad heartland. It is a mix of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, with the non-vegetarian items occupying more space. Some of the dishes are Chinnadurai chicken dry. Chinnadurai chicken curry, kozhi vepudu, Karnataka chicken curry, Niligiri which gives you a choice of mutton, chicken or vegetarian, Malabar chicken curry and crab puttu. They use only shell-less crabs for all their preparations. Hot and crisp, blackened prawns — called karuvepulle yera — turn up on a banana leaf-lined plate. Crisp and tasty on the outside and juicy on the inside, the prawns are dipped in a mix of curry leaf batter and deep fried.
The menu is exhaustive and a non-vegetarian lover will definitely be left spoilt for choices at this restaurant.
For vegetarians who like their food with a hint of Chettinad spices, vaazhai poo vadai (banana flower vadai) and murungakkai soup (drumstick soup) is a cut different from the rest. One can also try the vazhakai kola urundai when feeling experimental.
Apart from Chettinad, the menu also features tandoori and Chinese dishes for all those who like to be in their comfort zone and not experiment much. They also have a party hall at the venue that can accommodate about 70-90 people comfortably. They are also into outdoor catering and can craft a menu according to the requirement.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India/ Home> Life & Style> Food / TNN / March 08th, 2014
A couple of homes in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala will get uninterrupted 48V DC current from next month on pilot basis.
Researchers of the Tenet group at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, have come up with a new technology to provide uninterrupted power to homes across the country.
The project is the brainchild of IIT-M director Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and electrical engineering professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala (both founding members of Tenet group).
They have joined hands with electricity boards of TN, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala to implement the project on a pilot basis.
Explaining the functioning of the system, Prof. Jhunjhunwala, a member of the PM’s Science Advisory Council, said the power distribution company would install a dedicated 48V low-power direct current (DC) line from sub-station to houses.
The current would flow through a separate meter to power three lights, two fans and a mobile charger.
But a Tangedco official said huge investment is needed to create infrastructure to supply DC to households.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / January 30th, 2014
Shobhana Ramachandran, Managing Director, TVS Srichakra Ltd. / Photo: S. James / The Hindu
On the eve of International Women’s Day, the Managing Director of TVS Srichakra Ltd., Shobhana Ramachandran, shares with Soma Basu the story of her journey on a less travelled path for women and how she made it to the top staying in small town Madurai
There are no two ways about Shobhana Ramachandran, a scion of the powerful TVS family that runs the country’s largest automotive conglomerate company. Strongly opinionated, she never sways from decisions once taken. The firm person that she is it reveals the clarity in her thoughts and actions that follow.
Yet, feels Shobhana, feared as a boss for her aggressive temperament, “Clarity is a struggle.”
“I want to be slim but I also want to eat,” she explains in simple terms to underline if you are clear about what you want and let go of the other, you can understand your role better and deliver far better. The belief in the process of ‘letting it go’ has helped Shobhana take many more definitive steps in herjourney from being the great granddaughter of iconic industrialist T.V.Sundaram Iyengar and daughter of R.Ramachandran to the straight talking no-nonsense businesswoman who has taken her Madurai-based tyre company to a premium position in the world market. Yet, not many know much about her. She is a woman impacting on people. But, she says, gender does not matter to get to any position. “Your commitment and achievement matter.”
In the male dominated automotive industry, one would presume a woman is likely to feel diffident. But Shobhana Ramachandran believes in producing great results and tirelessly works towards the goal. Did she ever think of working anywhere else? “It never crossed my mind when I was in school or university. But my father surely did not want me to be in business,” she says.
A strict upbringing kept Shobhana confined to the house. She and her three brothers had to strictly follow the rules. The children were not allowed air conditioners or mattresses to sleep on, had to fold their beds every morning, finish every morsel that was served to them on their plate, never went on a holiday even though their cousins came visiting them from other cities and pushed off to Kodaikanal.
“My father did not like being in limelight because he felt it would drift us away from family values,” she says. But then he allowed her the freedom to do what she wanted to — play boys’ games! The girly presents and dolls gifted to her just lined up the shelves. The cricket and badminton coaches came home to train them and she would play with her brothers’ friends as a team.
Shobhana says she always made best use of the choices available without ever feeling bad or complaining. She wanted to do her under-graduation in psychology but her father told her she is “supposed to study literature”. After her B.A. English from Fatima College, Shobhana did M.A. Psychology from Lady Doak College.
“I never pushed myself, but remained among the top 10 in class, and had much interest in sports and drama,” she says. She would have loved to dance away too but for the lack of partners as tall as her. Shobhana taught English for a year at Fatima College and resigned hurt when told that the job should go to someone needy and not somebody as affluent as her.
It is not in her nature to ever fight or rebel. “I always move away from those who pick up fights and find a way to get around the blocks to do what I want to do,” she says. If there was anything that she ever refused, it was marriage. “It was a choice I made early in life. My parents did not object,” she says.
Left to her father, says Shobhana, she would have never got into family business. It was her grandfather T.S.Rajam, who brought her on board in 1982 when she started taking interest in the TVS school at Palanganatham. Shobhana who attended Noyes and OCPM School, apparently used to tell her friends that one day she would build the best school in Madurai with the best infrastructure.
“I never had a perfect dream project to execute,” she adds, “but one thing led to another.” Her love for children and passion for education turned the Lakshmi Vidya Sangham (LVS), a registered society formed by members of TVS family, into a leading education group in Madurai.
As the LVS chairperson, Shobhana is constantly expanding and innovating to provide quality education to 12,000 plus students enrolled in the nine institutions including exclusive rural and primary schools, one for children with special needs, a finishing school for engineering students, teachers’ training school, and those under the various boards (State/Matriculation and ICSE).
Always attentive to others, Shobhana’s plans and projects are need-based and well-calibrated and the single thought that drives it is ‘why should her city Madurai be deprived of it?’ In her business Shobhana oversees each detail to improve the quality of service — from introducing modern technologies, encouraging performance-based work culture, recruiting youth and more women, establishing sustainable and profitable relationship with customers, suppliers and stakeholders.
In the schools that she runs she is equally sensitive and particular about providing the best infrastructure, faculty and child-friendly atmosphere. Her practical approach and financial prudence have only led to growth of the academic institutions and the company over the years. She joined the latter in 1986.
Shobhana inspires girls to think forward and create options for themselves. She is ever-willing to help and support women who seriously want to come up in life. “Women should be clear of what they want and break the glass ceiling. They should have emotional intelligence and not an emotional reaction to everything,” she says.
“A lot of it is your personal choice on how you interpret your responsibilities and what you view as your obligation,” says Shobhana, who also finds sympathising with women all the time is being unfair to men.
In sync with TVS family thinking, she desires a corporate culture of giving, rather than only earning profits. Professional to the core, she has everything in her — honesty and humility, feelings and cravings to do something for others. Beneath her so-called hard exterior, Shobhana is very human and humorous. She laughs off her “Female Hitler” tag. “I am aware of the epithets I have earned being a non-conformist and a very blunt person,” she says and adds, “I appreciate people who have the guts to speak out.”
Though hard pressed for time, Shobhana does not neglect other social responsibilities. She founded the Arogya Welfare Trust to facilitate inclusive and participative community development through health care, education, skill development, general hygiene and women empowerment in villages around Madurai. Her love for light, Western and Classical music also made her take charge of the Madurai-based Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam encouraging younger artistes and honouring senior vidwans for their contribution to Carnatic music.
There is a soft and gentle side to the bold Shobhana, who is much in love with simple things in life. Recently when she went visiting the Table Mountain with her cousins, while everybody went gaga over the view of the city of Cape Town from the top, Shobhana yearned to return to her home in Madurai. “I have not known any other city better,” she says, “and I like being with myself.” Shobhana loves watching movies but hates visiting malls or partying. She would rather meditate to keep her focus and read books on philosophy and management. A nature lover, Shobhana draws comfort in being alone. But right now she has found new companions to share much of her time with at home. “Till two months ago I was scared of dogs and would jump on to a table seeing them,” she admits. But after her brothersgifted her two golden retriever and labrador pups, she is herself bemused at the changing equation!
Success doesn’t just pick a lucky few. It chooses those who make conscious decisions and seize the opportunities and implant their ideas for others to notice. Shobhana is one of them. Her success and her relative anonymity stem from the same source — a steely resolve. “Everything comes to you with a purpose,” she says.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Soma Basu / Madurai – March 06th, 2014
Chitra Ganapathy, Managing Director, Kadambavanam Trust for Culture and Heritage, receiving an award from U.S. Consul General Jennifer Mcintyre at the Women’s Day celebrations in the city. / Photo: R. Ashok / The Hindu
For their achievement in their own fields
Women from the city who had carved a niche for themselves in their own fields were honoured by the Women Empowerment (WE) Forum of the Tamil NaduChamber Foundation on Friday to mark the International Women’s day.
The Chief Guest for the event, U.S. Consul General, Jennifer Mcintyre spoke on how entrepreneurship was a key area of partnership between the US and Indiaand detailed the efforts made by her U.S Consulate team to promote women’s entrepreneurship in southern India.
“As the Consul General in south India, I have met extraordinary women across different careers and from civil society and many of them have been successful entrepreneurs,” she said, lauding the efforts made by women to succeed as entrepreneurs.
The ‘WE’ forum honoured seven women from the city under the title of ‘Sapthaswarangal’ and recognised them for having cemented their position in their own fields. Rohini Sridhar, Medical Director of Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Mamta Fomra, a fashion designer from the city, and Chitra Ganapathy, Managing Director, Kadambavanam Trust for Culture and Heritage, were among the seven women honoured.
The forum also honoured eighteen women from the city under the banner of ‘Amazing Women’ awards.
A.S. Meenalochani, Joint commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, Madurai, Jacintha Martin, Sub-Judge from the district court, and Mercy Pushpalatha, Principal of the Lady Doak College were among those honoured.
Soma Basu, a senior journalist of The Hindu Metroplus, was also honoured for her contribution to the field of journalism.
Speaking on the ‘WE’ forum, Chairman Rajkumari Jeevagan said that the forum was set up to facilitate entrepreneurial development among women in the district.
“We focus on development through training, discussions and mentoring and focus on shaping astructured thought process through the same. Several women who have the potential to succeed as anentrepreneur and the right focus and strategy will take it to great heights”, she said.
Actor Kuttypadmini, Supreme Court advocate Anita Sumanth and others were present at the event.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / Madurai – March 09th, 2014
G Ramakrishnan, who served as the regional sales manager for Heidelberg India, retired from service on 31 January, 2014, after an eventful 30-year stint at the firm.
“I have been a part of the Heidelberg India group since 15 July, 1983, when it was a part of the Mahindra and Mahindra group. It was a wonderful experience, where we used to get total support from Heidelberg India as well as from Germany, which gave me complete job satisfaction so as to stay with them for the last 30-plus years,” said Ramakrishnan.
Ramakrishnan, a respected and trusted name among the printing fraternity of South India joined Heidelberg as an employee in the finance section in July 1983. But soon the company realised that he had a knack for sales and asked him to nurture and groom the Kerala territory to start with. “Initially I was asked to nurture and groom Kerala market for seven years, which helped us to have a sizeable number of Heidelberg installations in that region,” he said.
One of his greatest achievements during the tenure was establishing and strengthening the Heidelberg brand in Sivakasi. Subsequently, under him, Tamil Nadu, including Sivakasi, saw installations of Heidelberg at leading printshops namely ITC, Multivista, NPT Offset, Nagaraj and Company, Srinivas Fine Arts, Lovely Offset Printers, Sel Jegat Printers, Bell Group of companies, Safire Offset Printers, Ace Data, Chromaprint, Menaka Cards, and Thee Classic Printers.
Klaus Nielsen, managing director of Heidelberg India, during the farewell ceremony on 29 January 2014, stated, “Ramakrishnan’s sales profile reflects his high values and ethics. His great rapport with the customers brought us repeat orders. We appreciate his dedication and loyalty to Heidelberg.”
Nagarajan, managing director of Chennai-based Nagaraj and Company (Amra Press), commended Ramakrishnan, as a “reliable salesman with integrity”. “He will never recommend a machine that will not serve or suit the purpose of the end-user. No vanishing act with him, after selling a machine. At any point of time after the sales, he is available for support. He is the bridge between Heidelberg and customers like us.”
In his farewell address, Ramakrishnan said, “Heidelberg has been my mother’s house. My tenure here has been memorable, right from my fledgling days to this day, when I am officially retiring from Heidelberg India with a heavy heart. Heidelberg shaped my career and life. I will continue to promote Heidelberg, even after my retirement. It is part of my DNA composition now.”
Ramakrishnan sent a farewell message to all his clients stating that he will not say goodbye as he is just a phone call away from them. He promised to assist his former clients through his colleagues and friends in Heidelberg India during his post retirement period.
Post his retirement, Ramakrishnan has joined Menaka Cards, a leading manufacturer and supplier of invitation cards in India. Speaking on his new association with Menaka Cards, Ramakrishnan said, “I have decided not to opt for equipment sales after having served Heidelberg. Instead I will be a part of Menaka Cards with Sankaralingam, CMD, who has been my role model entrepreneur. He has built his own successful empire as a wedding card manufacturer since 1980s.”
source: http://www.printweek.in / PrintWeek India / Home> News> Business / by Anand Srinivasan / February 28th, 2014
Tirupur-based knitwear brand Dixcy Scott will launch a chain of exclusive brand outlets across the country. At present its products, vests and briefs, are available in multi-brand retail outlets.
It will initially launch 10 exclusive brand outlets . “We have launched two in Bhubaneshwar and Surat, and plan to open half a dozen outlets in the South in the next few months and get into big format stores soon,” said Raghul Sikka, Director, Dixcy Scott.
The ₹600-crore brand has signed on Bollywood star Salman Khan as its brand ambassador for the northern market. For the South, it has roped in two South Indian film actors — Jiiva for Tamil Nadu and Puneet Rajkumar for Karnataka markets, Sikka said.
Dixcy Scott also hopes to identify a brand ambassador for Andhra Pradesh. It has earmarked 6-7 per cent of its turnover for marketing expenses for the year. The company has a capacity to manufacture 50,000 pieces a day and has tied up with third party manufacturers to make another 4.5 lakh pieces a day.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com /Business Line / Home> Companies / by The Hindu Bureau / Chennai – February 28th, 2014
On the centenary of the Pamban Rail Bridge, which connects Rameswaram to the Indian mainland, a look at its history and significance.
Infinite loop: A train runs along the Pamban Rail Bridge and above the dark waters of Palk Strait. / Photo: Bijoy Bharathan / The Hindu
It is 3.50am and the Sethu Express headed from Chennai Egmore to Rameswaram is chugging along, barely 10 minutes away from its destination. Then you begin to hear it, a metallic rumble as the train slows down to about a tenth of its intended speed. The doorways soon fill with a motley crew of half-asleep passengers comprising men and women, both young and old, who align themselves near the exits for the best view. Outside the train, the pitch darkness of early dawn offers mere silhouettes of the bridge. As the train treads the dark waters of the Palk Strait atop the Pamban Rail Bridge, the travellers are united in wide-eyed surrender, to an all-encompassing sense of awe.
It’s a sight that’s been playing in an infinite loop for about 100 years now, since the Pamban Rail Bridge opened in 1914. The bridge, which until 2010 was India’s longest sea bridge — the Bandra Worli Sea Link in Mumbai having now bagged that title — connects the island of Rameswaram to the Indian mainland. Often referred to as the economic and spiritual lifeline of this region, the bridge celebrated its centenary early this week. In the midst of the revelries, questions concerning the future of the bridge against its maintenance as a heritage site came to the fore. While the two sides objectively argue their cases, a subjective detour back in time might be just what the doctor ordered.
In the annals of the Indian Railways, one man’s name is synonymous with the Pamban Rail Bridge. Fondly known as the Metro Man of India, E Sreedharan, achieved the near-impossible task of restoring the Pamban Bridge to a fully operational state in a mere 46 days, after it was devastated by a cyclone on December 23, 1964. Reminiscing about that time Sreedharan says, “The damage to the rail bridge was so severe that it wasn’t considered worth restoring. The government was already planning to construct a road bridge connecting Rameswaram to the mainland. However, SK Patil, the then union railway minister, knew the importance of Rameswaram as a pilgrimage centre and decided to repair the bridge.”
Nature’s fury: Pamban Bridge in ruins after a cyclone battered it on December 23, 1964. / Photo: The Hindu Archives
Elaborating on those months of backbreaking work, Sreedharan says, “Of the 146 spans in the bridge, 124 had been damaged or washed away. We urgently needed metre gauge girders (support beams) to build the bridge. We sourced them from states as far as Assam and Rajasthan, but there was still a shortage. Thankfully, the fishermen in Pamban came to our rescue. They had spotted many girders that had been swept away in the cyclone and were lying 40 feet below, on the seabed. We salvaged those and worked at breakneck speed to complete the restoration. It used to take us three days to launch one girder. Soon we were launching a girder a day. On the last two days, we launched eight girders.” And the results were there for all to see. The project was estimated to be completed in six months, Sreedharan and his team accomplished it in 46 days.
But there’s an altogether personal history of sacrifice that is intertwined with Sreedharan’s association with the bridge. He says, “My wife was pregnant with our daughter when I was informed about the cyclonic damage to the Pamban Bridge. I was on Christmas leave at my hometown in Pattambi, while my wife was at her maternal home in Ponnali. I didn’t have the time to meet her before heading to Pamban and commencing work on the bridge. A few weeks later, I came to know that we had been blessed with a baby girl. However, I was unable to go see her as my presence was needed at the bridge at all times during the ongoing restoration work. Finally, after we had put the bridge back in operation, I was able to go home and see my daughter for the first time.”
The legacy of the Pamban Bridge and the need for its continued service is fully understood by engineers today. In 2006, a contingent from IIT Madras led by professor Kalyanaraman was entrusted with instrumenting the bridge. Many new members (structural elements used to brace bridges and buildings) were added to it and it was strengthened at the bottom as well.
Recounting his memories of the bridge, Dr S Arul Jayachandran, from the Structural Engineering Laboratory at the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras says, “I was about four years old when the cyclone struck. My hometown, Madurai, was bathed in a pall of gloom. A few months later, I undertook the first rail journey of my life. It took me across the Pamban Rail Bridge. I remember how everybody peeped out of their windows in the train when it crossed the bridge on a particularly low-tide day. We were stunned and delighted to know that this was the same bridge that had once been ravaged by the cyclone.”
For Jayachandran, it was merely the beginning of a lifelong love affair. In 1983, for his undergraduate thesis, he presented the concept of an alternate bridge connecting Rameswaram to the mainland. He is now finalising a technical report based on a study that he had carried out on the Pamban Rail Bridge in December 2013. He says, “The 100-year-old bridge has a place of pride in the hearts of many generations of Indians. We consider it a part of our historical identity. From a purely conservationist point of view, it is a thing of beauty and must be protected. From a scientific viewpoint, the safety of the passengers is paramount. The bridge has withstood the test of time for more than a century. I am optimistic that it will remain so for another century.”
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Features / by Bijoy Bharathan / February 28th, 2014
Chettinad, SICL bag multi-cargo terminal contract from Kamarajar Port Limited (earlied called Ennore Port Limited)./ A file photo. / PTI
Chettinad Builders and South India Corporation Limited (SICL), the lone bidder, on Thursday bagged the contract to construct the Rs.150 crore multi-cargo terminal at Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL).
This is the second project to be awarded by the Port authorities in the last two weeks, with the first one was awarded to Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone for constructing Rs.1,270 crore container terminal.
The letter of approval was given to Chettinad Builders and SICL on Thursday, a day after Ennore Port Limited (EPL) was renamed as Kamarajar Port.
As per the proposal, the selected bidder has to design, build, finance, operate and transfer the multi-cargo terminal for a concession period of thirty years. The terminal will have a quay length of 270 metres to handle two million tonnes of bulk and project cargoes such as turbine and generators, windmills, fertilisers and wooden logs. It will come up between the container and iron ore terminal.
According to informed sources, eight parties had evinced interest to construct the multi-cargo terminal. During the scrutiny, the Port officials rejected two proposals. Even though there were six bidders, only Chettinad Builders and SICL submitted its bid.
“Chettinad Builders and SICL had offered a revenue share of 36 per cent. We were surprised by the offer as the revenue share was higher than what it was suggested by our project advisor. We have accepted the lone bid and issued the letter,” said a KPL official.
For the Rs.1,270 crore container terminal KPL received two bids, of which Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone offered a higher revenue share of 37 per cent and bagged the contract. Both the projects are expected to be commissioned more or less during the same time.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by N. Anand / Chennai – February 28th, 2014
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa addresses at the Tamil Nadu Vision 2023 Phase II on Friday /. Photo; V. Ganesan / The Hindu
The Tamil Nadu government will set up an ‘Auto City’, considered a first of its kind initiative under the automobile and auto component policy launched by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
It will be under the theme ‘Tamil Nadu, the Partner in Automotive Sector Investment’.
The state government would form an Automotive Industrial Development Centre offering investment facilitation services to companies willing to invest in the automotive industry, the policy document said.
It said AIDC would help the government put in place appropriate policy framework. It would also support and facilitate its implementation and interventions aimed at making Tamil Nadu a destination for manufacture and export of motor vehicles.
As per AIDC, the government would set up an “Auto City”, a state-of-the-art over 1,000 hectare industrial park as a JV for domestic and global automotive and auto-component firms.
Besides, an Automotive Suppliers Park would come up to improve the logistics competitiveness for units set up in it.
The Auto City would have a logistics hub to provide multi modal transport, a design and technological park and common infrastructure like effluent treatment and waste management utilities. It would also dwell on transport of goods to various ports on 24 hour basis for movement of consignment trucks.
“The Government of India, Ministry of Shipping, will be impressed upon the need to construct multi-level parking in the major ports of State”, the policy document said.
Additionally, the state government would also promote new auto clusters in Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts while existing ones in Madurai and Coimbatore would be strengthened.
SIPCOT would promote Auto-Industrial Parks in Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli,Tuticorin and extend infrastructure and common facilities to attract more investments from small and medium auto-component industries.
On the automobile policy, it said a package of incentives is currently available only for ultra-mega auto projects.
Though automobile and components constitute an important segment, Tamil Nadu does not have a separate integrated and comprehensive policy to retain the leadership’s position, the document said.
The state has six car manufacturers around Chennai. They are — US car maker Ford, Korean-auto major Hyundai, Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd, the JV plant set up by France-based Renault and Japan-headquartered Nissan and Germany’s BMW, with a total capacity of 13.80 lakh units per year, it said.
Tamil Nadu accounts for 35 per cent of India’s auto component production worth USD 6.2 billion.
Aimed at making Chennai one of the top five global auto-clusters, the state government had on Friday unveiled the first of its kind automobile policy, an industrial policy and second volume of ‘Tamil Nadu Vision 2023’.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business> Industry /PTI / Chennai – February 21st, 2014
