The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Poor state of industrial estate

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 05, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Poor state of industrial estate

K. Manikandan

Bad roads, erratic power supply, improper sewage and what not!

IN A SHAMBLES: The poor road condition at the Thirumudivakkam industrial estate near Pallavaram is adding to economic problems of the industrial units. — PHOTO: A. MURTHALITHARAN.

TAMBARAM : If industrial estates in and around Chennai are to be ranked in an ascending order on the basis of pathetic condition of infrastructure, the Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation (TAN SIDCO) Industrial Estate at Thirumudivakkam near Pallavaram might easily walk away with top honours.

Roads are so unimaginably bad that one has to see them to believe. Power supply and voltage fluctuation are so erratic even at the SIDCO's branch office at the estate that staff there pray bulbs do not burst and ceiling fans do not collapse on them. Incidentally, the branch office is in a dilapidated condition with cracks all over the walls that potential investors might turn to some other place.

No water supply

People running the units hardly receive water supply. There is not even a semblance of proper sewage system there and the streetlights have vanished. A dense overgrowth of vegetation has taken over most areas of the estate. And the condition has been the same ever since the estate has been in existence since the late 1990's.

There is not even a direction sign at the entrance board and visitors are at a loss to locate their destinations. Owners of tiny and small units, which employ less than 50 people, said their investment and the subsequent returns, considering the state of domestic units in the current scenario, were just about enough to repay their loans and disburse wages to workers.

Yet, they spent a sizable sum of their investment on carrying out basic repair works in the estate.

The telephone exchange, overhead water tank and the underground sewage system are all present only for namesake and all of them have become defunct.

Manufacturers pointed out that it was not enough if the Government simply promoted land for industrial purposes, but they should hand it over to the buyers only in a developed state.

Officials at the SIDCO said they collected only Rs. 3,000 an acre from the owners and the sum was barely sufficient to carry out even basic repair works. They said Rs. 6 crore was sanctioned for carrying out improvement works in this estate about two years ago and the amount was still idle.

The amount could not be used for various reasons, including the relations between the Central and State Governments then.

Officials added that the SIDCO was working seriously towards improving the much-needed basic amenities and assured there would be some visible improvement soon.

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