‘Develop industries, airports in the south’

Edwin Samuel, an Industrialist and former Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), said the first and foremost project to be implemented was the Madurai-Thoothukudi industrial corridor project which held the key to development of several ancillary industries in the southern districts providing employment on a large scale. 

Thoothukudi district had drawn maximum investment of Rs 68,000 crore in the Global Investors Meet (GIM). None of the projects signed had kicked off yet and they should be started soon. Another important need was the expansion of Thoothukudi port that would benefit the entire state. 

There are two airports in the southern region at Madurai and Thoothukudi. Both had to be upgraded as international airports. In Thoothukudi, the flight services should be increased and night-landing facility should be brought in for better management of air traffic, said Edwin Samuel. 

Another important area in which the southern districts expect a lot from the new government is agriculture. Farmers and unions are more concerned about the two major rivers which act as the lifeline of southern districts – Vaigai and Thamirabarani. 

Perumal, Thoothukudi District Secretary, Tamil Nadu Farmers Union, claimed that Tamirabarani was the lifeline of farmers of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi but now several industries had been set up along the river to utilise the water. Apart from that river water was supplied to industries under the 20 MGD scheme but such schemes should be scrapped for farming to develop, he added.