Infra fix need of the hour for Ranipet dist: Locals

While the SIDCO, SIPCOT and BHEL ancillary estates in Ranipet already provide employment, unit holders complain that a proper rail link for the town is yet to be established, according to L Gandhijothi, secretary of the Ranipet small and tiny industries association.

Though the Chennai–Bengaluru railway line passes through the area, Ranipet has no station of its own. To meet immediate needs, demands are on to upgrade the Wallajahpet railway station as now the nearby Mukundarayapuram station is used mostly by the Ranipet unit of BHEL.

Elaborating on the issue, former Arcot MLA KL Elavazhagan said, “The 2008 Congress government constructed a bridge across the Palar river connecting Visharam and Ranipet at an estimated cost of Rs 40 crore for the then proposed Nagari–Tindivanam rail line. But for various reasons, the project was dropped, with the 800-metre bridge now being used by two-wheelers.” Rail sleepers reportedly meant for the project are found to be lying abandoned amidst weeds today.

The industrial front of the district also does not seem to pose a rosy picture. A case in point would be sources mentioning the additional land allotted to the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) estate project failing to attract enough investments. Though the phase III project of the estate does have a large engineering unit, which was expected to feed the many ancillary units in the area, unit holders were shocked when the plant itself became an ancillary for Tiruchy BHEL’s Ranipet Boiler Auxilleries Project (BAP), said an industrialist preferring anonymity. This deprived existing BHEL related ancillaries of job orders, the industrialist said.

“With the government claiming that its GIM (Global Investors Meet) resulted in the signing of numerous MoUs (Memoranda of Understanding), it would benefit locals if some of the industries were diverted to Ranipet,” thesource added.

The leather industry in Ranipet also appears to be in the doldrums with only 50 of the 88 finished leather units still functional. “The others have been declared sick, and of the functional units, only some get good orders while the others are unable to fully utilise their installed capacity,” a leather unit holder said.

While sources expressed hope that there could be a change in situation after the new year as most foreign companies which provide orders are now on Christmas vacation, they added the present scenario was expected to prevail for some more months.

This also has reportedly impacted the effluent treatment plant with a 25 lakh litres per day capacity as they continue to function for the few functional units while continuing to pay power charges similar to normal functioning days.

While Ranipet town already has seen an increase in rent following its upgradation as a district headquarters, it reportedly witnessed a strange situation where many officials from Vellore district expressed willingness to move to the newly formed Tirupattur district instead, leaving few takers for Ranipet district. Government employee AV Venketesan said, “As Ranipet is only 25 kilometres from Vellore, many prefer to stay in Vellore and commute to their offices daily, as Ranipet not only lacks enough housing but is also heavily polluted that many fear not getting the government-suppliedpotable water.”