Madurai, Tiruchi, Salem will also have IT parks

All cities in Tamil Nadu will have information technology-driven development on the lines of what has happened in Chennai, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said in coimbatore on Saturday.

Launching a Rs.300-crore information technology park for Coimbatore and drinking water projects, Mr. Karunanidhi said Madurai, Tiruchi and Salem too would have such parks. The Coimbatore park would provide 10,000 direct and 2,000 indirect jobs. With various schemes, including information technology parks, the Government hoped to eradicate unemployment.

Foreign investment


He said the State attracted Rs.4,000-crore foreign investment in the last eight months. More investments were in the pipeline.

Distributing monthly doles to educated unemployed youth, Mr. Karunanidhi said the scheme covered over two lakh people when it was launched on November 11 last year. The second phase launched here on Saturday would cover more than 3.10 lakh youth, including over 1.03 lakh in Coimbatore district.

Projects launched


While 12.30 lakh youth were covered in the first phase, the number would touch 18.41 lakh in the second phase. "It is not as if these people have been provided with jobs. This only provides relief until they get jobs." The Government would soon come out with a programme to train these beneficiaries to ensure that they possessed necessary skills to find employment. Mr. Karunanidhi also laid the foundation for three drinking water supply schemes -- Pilloor Phase II for Coimbatore city at Rs.113.74 crore and two combined water supply schemes for two clusters of suburbs involving an expenditure of Rs.30.38 crore and Rs.35.47 crore.

The other projects are Rs.96.51-crore solid waste management scheme for the city and a ring road and flyovers at a cost of Rs. 70 crore at Tirupur.

Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran said major information technology firms would set up shop at the proposed park. The work would be completed in 18 months. "The Chief Minister wanted me to take information technology revolution to other cities also. Thousands of youth will get jobs in Coimbatore."