CHENNAI: Minister for Industries TRB Rajaa on Thursday said acquiring land for industrial purposes remains a major challenge in the western and delta regions of Tamil Nadu, resulting in comparatively lower industrial growth in those areas.
Speaking at the Conversion Conclave in Chennai, the Minister said that while northern and southern regions of the State have witnessed significant industrial expansion, growth in the western and Delta districts stands at around 20 per cent, primarily due to difficulties in land acquisition.
"Our government believes in inclusive and distributed growth. The northern region accounts for 41 per cent of industrial growth and the southern region 36 per cent. However, due to limited availability of land, the western and Delta regions have recorded around 20 per cent growth, " he said.
Rajaa said no other State had organised a dedicated Conversion Conclave to demonstrate how Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are being converted into actual investments. He noted that when the DMK government assumed office in 2021, it faced the twin challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and a financial crisis.
"Real growth began only from 2022 after stabilising the situation," he said.
Highlighting infrastructure expansion, the Minister said that while 24 SIPCOT parks were established over the past 50 years, as many as 30 new parks have been created in the last five years, utilising only about one per cent of cultivated land.
He added that the State is also developing 17 TIDEL Neo Parks, including in districts such as Nagapattinam and Kanniyakumari, to ensure balanced regional development. Tamil Nadu, he said, is emerging strongly in sectors such as footwear, semiconductors, shipbuilding, aerospace and defence, life sciences and tourism.
"Tamil Nadu is balancing both manufacturing and services sectors effectively," Rajaa said.