Ministry looking at 'industrial garland' model in South

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Commerce and Industry Ministry is looking at an "industrial garland" model connecting state capitals of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala to develop industries in the region.
"We are looking at an "industrial garland" model connecting Chennai, Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram through industrial towns like Hosur, Nagercoil, Virudhunagar, Kancheepuram," Minister for State for Commerce and Industry E M Sudarsana Natchiappan told reporters here.
He said that the Ministry was looking at the Chennai- Bangalore Industrial Corridor for establishing a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ).
NIMZ was an evolution from the Ministry's earlier initiatives of Special Economic Zones and Cluster models, but with a larger land area of over 5,000 acres, he said.

"We are talking with the Tamil Nadu government, since the land allotment will be through them. We are ready for making this under Section 25 of the Companies Act. We located this corridor, since many Japanese companies are interested in this region," he said.
The Ministry has taken steps to expand the Ennore Port with 850 acre of land, he said, adding, IOC and HPCL would also set up storage facilities for crude oil imported in Tuticorin port in south Tamil Nadu.

The Ministry has allocated Rs 15 crore for an own building for its Intellectual Property functions over a 7.5-acre land in suburban Kovalam.

As for international initiatives, India was organising an industrial exhibition by over 150 entrepreneurs in Yangon of Myanmar between March 15 and 18 this year.
"We have also spoken to our diplomats there for a tripartite agreement with the Myanmar government for trade relations," Natchiappan said.
To a query on reports of investors shifting their investment from western part of Tamil Nadu to Karnataka due to power shortage, the Minister said that the Textile Ministry was taking efforts to sought out the problem.
Replying to a query on whether Congress was isolated in the forthcoming polls, he said, "No one can isolate Congress. We are present in all 28 states. It is the BJP, which is present only in nine states, out of which its alliance partners in five of them have Prime Minister aspirations."

The Congress was in the process of finalising alliance partners in all states starting with Bihar.
To another query, he said actor-politician Vijayakanth's DMDK was a "friendly party" and has been maintaining "friendly relations" with the Congress.