The Hindu : Other States / Pondicherry News : Tax sops alone won't attract industry: Valsaraj

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Friday, Jul 02, 2004

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Tax sops alone won't attract industry: Valsaraj

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, JULY 1. Tax breaks and other fiscal benefits alone would not attract industry to Pondicherry, which is looking for adequate infrastructure and allied development, according to the Health and Labour Minister, E. Valsaraj.

Inaugurating a seminar here on control of industrial pollution and sustainable environment organised by the Pondicherry-based CARE, a non-governmental organisation, on Tuesday, Mr. Valsaraj said Government efforts alone would not bear fruit in any field of development. A case in point was rainwater harvesting, which was a good scheme. But rainwater-harvesting structures constructed on the premises of government buildings needed to be reviewed as they were largely not properly done.

The administration planned to hold talks with entrepreneurs to construct rainwater-harvesting structures on vacant sites belonging to industries.

Returning to the theme of attracting industry to the Union Territory, he said tax sops alone were not enough. Educational facilities, guaranteed admissions in local institutions to children of industrialists from outside Pondicherry and a clean environment were also important. He pointed out that his hometown of Mahe was free from pollution because there was no industry in the region except a spinning unit.

M. Ramadass, Pattali Makkal Katchi MP, said Karaikal presented a `horrible picture, what with mounds of garbage remaining uncleared for days together'. The quality of drinking water was also not up to the mark in Karaikal. He appealed to the Chief Minister and the Health Minister to look into the problems.

He pointed out that industrialists would rather pay a fine for violating environmental rules, than install devices to treat industrial effluents. This was the case with industries on the East Coast Road, which were polluting the air, land and water.

The legislator called for joint action by academics, non-governmental organisations and government departments to ensure that pollution did not go uncontrolled.

The Consul Adjoint of the French Consulate here, Pierre Blondel, cautioned that non-renewable energy sources should not be overused. He suggested that Pondicherry could earmark `vehicle-free zones' where only pedestrians and cyclists would be allowed. Polluting industries should be given deadlines to clean up, failing which they should be closed down in the public interest, he said.

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Tax sops alone won't attract industry: Valsaraj