Tamil Nadu seeks to turn SIPCOT land banks into functioning factories

CHENNAI:

Tamil Nadu is seeking to turn its industrial parks from land banks into operating manufacturing hubs, beginning with Manapparai where only four of 32 allotted industrial plots have so far become operational.

Industries and Investment Promotion Minister S Keerthana taking part in a discussion initiated by DMK MLA K N Nehru on Monday said that the 1,097.86-acre Manapparai SIPCOT park had struggled to attract production because of gaps in basic infrastructure, including water, roads, power, public transport and security.

The government has moved to close those gaps after an inspection in May under its SIPCOT Revival Mission, which involved discussions with investors on the obstacles delaying their projects.

Water supply from the Cauvery Water Scheme was extended to all allotted plots from July 7, while a second supply arrangement through Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd has also been put in place. Road and streetlight works are moving ahead, while land has been secured for a proposed 110 kV substation to provide dedicated power capacity.

Bus services to the industrial park have also begun and CCTV infrastructure is being established. The government has separately intervened in company-specific regulatory delays, including expediting a long-pending approval for a PepsiCo unit.

SIPCOT has earmarked Rs 43.6 crore for infrastructure in the new phase, including roads, stormwater drains, culverts and streetlights.

“An industrial park cannot be considered successful merely because land has been acquired and plots have been allotted,” Keerthana said, adding that the real test was whether factories were being established, jobs created and economic activity generated.