Tamil Nadu in race for Rs 3,000 cr furniture hub project

On Tuesday, Mahindra and Mahindra MD, Pawan Goenka, taking part in the MCCI’s chamber day celebrations, revealed that three states, including TN, were vying for the fairly large furniture hub project. In case of countries such as China and Vietnam, it was the government that got involved in setting up such big infrastructure projects, he said, noting that in India, for having such a project, it was still not clear as to who will make the investment. This project will also take into cognisance the issue of migrant workers.

N Muruganandam, Principal Secretary, Industries, TN, when contacted by DT Next, shared more details, saying, Thoothukudi has the twin advantages of port and land availability, apart from other key factors like skilled labour. A task force in FICCI, along with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), has been at the forefront of identifying potential locations for the project. While the Centre has been on the overdrive with its ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) initiatives, TN seems to have taken the lead, as regards the furniture project.

From the initial discussion stage over a month ago, an effective meeting was held about a fortnight ago, when all the benefits that Thoothukudi brought forth were highlighted. “We have about 500 to 600 acres of land close to the port and SIPCOT can allot 1,000 acres. Since the parcel of land is in the southern district, a 50 per cent discount on the land price is also being provided. Also, within the port, a land bank of 1,000 to 1,500 acres is available,” the official said.