The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Coimbatore Zone, under the aegis of Coimbatore NEXT, organised a Special Interactive Meeting with Keerthana, TN Minister for Industries & Investment Promotion, to present a comprehensive development agenda aimed at accelerating the economic growth of Coimbatore and the Western Tamil Nadu region.

Representatives from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), CODISSIA, Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA), Kongu Global Forum, Young Indians (Yi) and other industry bodies attended the meeting.

Important infrastructure and service requirements related to air, rail and road connectivity were discussed with the Minister.They also discussed key aspects such as enhancing the region’s investment ecosystem, strengthening industrial infrastructure, generating high-quality employment and positioning Coimbatore as a preferred destination for advanced manufacturing, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), logistics, innovation and emerging industries.
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Road Projects discussed include Western Bypass (Phases II & III), the proposed 81-km Eastern Bypass by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), widening of the existing L&T Bypass Road, improvement of the Chengapalli–Salem stretch of the Coimbatore–Salem corridor, the proposed Coimbatore–Karur Expressway etc.

With regards to Railways, Coimbatore NEXT urged the State Government to engage with the Ministry of Railways to prioritize the redevelopment of Coimbatore Junction and facilitate the establishment of additional train maintenance facilities.

Touching air connectivity, a detailed representation was made on the expansion of Coimbatore International Airport. Key priorities discussed included the interim expansion works, improvement of approach road connectivity, construction of the new integrated terminal, expeditious resolution of the remaining land acquisition requirements, enhancement of domestic and international air connectivity and completion of the airport boundary wall to facilitate future expansion. Infrastructure development formed a major focus of the discussions.

The recently released Coimbatore Master Plan was also discussed extensively, with particular emphasis on its implications for industrial development, land use planning and the concerns of the MSME sector. The need to create a robust industrial land bank and new industrial estates were highlighted.

Minister Keerthana assured that the Government would take concrete, time-bound steps to address the key priorities. She further stated that the scope of Guidance Tamil Nadu would be strengthened to facilitate investments and support the developmental agenda presented by Coimbatore NEXT and the participating industry bodies, contributing towards Tamil Nadu’s vision of becoming a US$1.5 trillion economy by 2035.

The interaction was also attended by Pavankumar IAS, District Collector, Coimbatore and representatives from leading industry and business associations including R.Nandini,Managing Trustee, GRG Institutions; Vijay Mohan, Head, Aviation Taskforce, Coimbatore NEXT & Founder, Pricol Ltd; V Noushad, Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone & Managing Director, Walkaroo International Pvt. Ltd;  Srinivasan, President, Tamil Nadu Hotel Association & Director, Sree Annapoorna; Mithun Ramdas, President, SIEMA;  Rajesh Lund, President, ICCI; V. Rangaswamy, President, CODISSIA; J Sathish, Trustee, Kongu Global Forum; Shyam Mohan, Aviation Analyst.