Airport plans for Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchi !!!

With Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Saturday urging the Centre to implement six major projects in the State, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured him that the "welfare and prosperity of the people of Tamil Nadu are very close to the heart of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government."

Dr. Singh announced that the Centre would soon begin work on the modernisation of Chennai airport and plans were being made for the development of Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchi airports.

After laying foundation stone for the Global Automotive Research Centre (GARC) in Oragadam, he said, "for the past two and a half years, we have been working hard to take this State to new levels of development." The UPA Government would create a positive environment for the growth of the State, the Prime Minister said.

The Railways had been asked to examine the feasibility of extending the dedicated freight corridor to the south, including Tamil Nadu, Dr. Singh said, adding that the Centre would support the efforts to develop Colachel Port into a major container port once the feasibility report was completed.

"We will also support the desalination project for Chennai which is our solemn commitment in the National Common Minimum Programme," he said.

Detroit of India

Describing Tamil Nadu as the "Detroit of India," he said the setting up of the GARC as part of the comprehensive National Automotive Testing and Research and Development Infrastructure Project would push the automobile industry in the State and in the southern region to new frontiers. It would also enable the automobile and auto components industry to achieve global standards, he said.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said though the country faced many challenges, they could be successfully met under the leadership of the Prime Minister, endeavour of his Ministerial colleagues and guidance of Mr. Karunanidhi.

He urged Dr. Singh and Ms. Gandhi to sanction new schemes such as setting up of a major port in Colachel, implementing common effluent treatment projects, extending financial assistance for the desalination plant, modernising the Chennai airport, introducing bullet train service between Chennai and Madurai and Chennai and Coimbatore and ensuring successful implementation of the project announcing Tamil as a classical language, besides giving annual awards named after Tamil sages `Tholkappiar" and "Valluvar."

The State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu earmarked 304 acres of land for the GARC project, which would convert Chennai into an automobile hub. The GARC would provide employment to 3,000 persons, mostly locals, he said.

Auto sector potential


Mr. Karunanidhi said the State had the potential to record six to seven-fold increase in the auto sector output and the projected size of the industry was $15 billion to $20 billion by 2015, he said.

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Santosh Mohan Dev and Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries Kanti Singh highlighted the significance of the GARC.

Source: The Hindu