MADURAI: To accelerate economic growth and industrial development in the southern region, VO Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi should be made into a transshipment hub, TR Thamilarasu, president, All India Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said on Tuesday.

“To facilitate infrastructure and enable seamless cargo transfer in the port city, which is likely to emerge as a major hub for logistics next to Chennai and Coimbatore, the government should come up with a major initiative to establish a multi-modal logistics park in Thoothukudi,” he said.

For the convenience of business stakeholders, the Chamber requested for a trade centre in Thoothukudi, which has the potential to fuel industrial growth next to Chennai, as the facility would provide a platform to hold industrial exhibitions for their benefit and also attract investors. Numerous MSME industries that employ thousands largely depend on Tamirabarani river for drinking water and other basic needs. While priority is accorded to domestic use, stakeholders are in desperate need of a 150 MLD desalination plant for industrial purposes.

Moreover, the stakeholders also highlighted the need to upgrade local aerodrome into an international airport to accommodate bigger aircraft. While so many students were passing out from engineering colleges and hunting for jobs, the AICCI has opined that an IT park could be set up in Thoothukudi.

“Listing all above demands, a memorandum was presented to Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Thoothukudi MP,” he said.