A number of projects introduced by the erstwhile M. Karunanidhi government, which were either shelved or stalled by the subsequent AIADMK government, would be revived Minister for Information T. Mano Thangaraj said in Hosur on Friday.
Interacting with the media at the ELCOT SEZ after meeting with representatives of the Hosur Small and Tiny Industries Association (HOSTIA) and Hosur Industries Association (HIA), he said, the take-away from the meeting was that there was no conducive environment and infrastructure for the industry at large during the last government. The industry’s common refrain was that there was a gap between the industry and the government during the previous regime, said Mr. Thangaraj.
The Minister alleged that many industries had left for Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. But now, the government is focused in increasing ‘Ease of Doing business’ to attract not just big businesses but also new ventures and youth-led start-ups. “Wherever we go, industry heads say there was no clarity on whom to approach. That will change now. The schemes that were shelved or stalled will be revived,” he said.
‘Hosur to be local Silicon Valley’
The aim of the government was to turn Hosur into a “Silicon Valley” and the administration shall soon formulate a detailed project report to implement the proposal, said the IT Minister.
The ELCOT SEZ on Bagalur Road has remained vacant but for one or two IT firms operating from one of the three floors, two of which have remained largely vacant for want of takers. The SEZ, like many SEZs, were ignored by the previous government. There was a Minister from here, but there is no trace of a Minister in the SEZ, said Mr. Thangaraj. “The ELCOT SEZ has three floors; once the infrastructure gets fully utilised, the second phase of expansion will be decided. In Coimbatore and Salem, Phase II works are already proposed.”
Responding to a query on the persisting complaints about GST by the MSMEs, the Minister said, the DMK has been critical of the GST for its various flaws and has consistently reiterated that the impediments to the industry be dropped.
