Constitute high-level panel for Madurai's development

MADURAI: The Agri and All India Chamber (AAIC), Madurai, has urged the need to form a high-level committee comprising senior officials under the leadership of Chief Minister MK Stalin, to bring in more developments for Madurai.

The opinion came as the chief minister was presiding over ‘TN Rising -Madurai Investment Conclave’ in Madurai on Sunday.

Madurai still lacks a large-scale ‘Convention and Trade Centre’, which could be put up in a space of at least 15 to 20-acre like Chennai Trade Centre and CODISSIA in Coimbatore.

Small exhibition halls built on three to four acres could hardly serve the growing industrial and export needs of Madurai and southern Tamil Nadu. Such a big trade centre must also include irradiation and cold storage facilities essential for the export of goods.

While voluntary efforts by the people of Madurai are visible in pockets, with the initiative of the District Administration and Madurai Municipal Corporation, only well-planned government initiatives and strict enforcement could transform Madurai into a clean and sustainable city.

This requires urgent and priority action, keeping in mind that the development of Madurai is vital for the overall development of southern Tamil Nadu.

"Therefore, special schemes should be introduced for Madurai in this regard," S Rethinavelu, president of AAIC, Madurai, said in a statement.

It is disturbing that a survey conducted adopting multiple parameters, across 40 major Indian cities with a population above ten lakh, by Swachh Survekshan 2025 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has ranked Madurai at the bottom as most dirtiest city.

Unfortunately, residents of Madurai are well aware that this reflects ground reality. For a historic temple city, a cultural heritage city, a major tourist destination, a trade and industrial hub, a centre for advanced medical care and the southern gateway of Tamil Nadu, the findings of the survey have brought enormous disgrace.

If the state government did not take immediate and strong corrective measures, this stigma would severely hinder Madurai’s growth in all sectors.

Citing these, he requested that Madurai be developed on the lines of the most populous city, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, India’s cleanest city for eight consecutive years.