CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government has started formulating a new industrial policy, as part of which it received suggestions from the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday, including one for single window clearance for investors.

Briefing presspersons after a presentation made to senior officials, including the Chief Secretary and the Industry Secretary, FICCI leaders emphasised the need for the Centre to allow contract labour in export-oriented industries such as textiles and leather. It would benefit industries whose export orders were seasonal .

P. Murari, Adviser to the FICCI president, said that while providing the single window clearance, care should be taken to avoid having "several windows within that [single window]." A high-power committee for evolving a five-year plan for creating infrastructure, granting statutory clearance for mega projects and monitoring implementation was also recommended.

For the textile industry, he said, the State should bring more areas under cotton, because the consumption is 70 lakh bales while the growth is only 3.5 lakh bales. FICCI Tamil Nadu council chairman M. Rafeeque Ahmed said that restriction on setting up new tanneries should be lifted by allowing facilities meeting pollution control norms. The initiatives required for the cement industry included maximising supply of fly ash, exploring new limestone sources and promoting clinker grinding. The Centre should remove import duty on coal and reduce port levies.

FICCI sought setting up of oil refineries, early implementation of the Titanium Di-Oxide project in Tuticorin and Ennore and an LNG terminal. For the sugar industry, industry-friendly procedures for easy movement of molasses and alcohol, encouraging production of ethanol and cogeneration and reduction of sales tax on molasses were essential.

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