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Tamil Nadu
In conversation:US Consul General in Chennai Andrew T. Simkin (second left); IMMA International Stone Fair 2011 chairman R. Veeramani (third from left); IMMA president N. Ashoken (fourth from left); and the fair's vice-chairman, K. Badrinarayanan, in Chennai on Thursday. CHENNAI: The Centre and State government should come out with guidelines of international standard, on the lines of Granite Conservation and Development Rules 1999, to support the stone industry, leading granite manufacturer R. Veeramani said on Thursday. Delivering the welcome address at the fifth edition of IMMA International Stone Fair 2011, organised by the Indian Monument Manufacturers' Association (IMMA), Mr. Veeramani, chairman of the fair, said the need of the hour was to have a long-lasting policy instead of an ad hoc policy in every State. It should be implemented by all States, particularly Tamil Nadu, immediately. “Publication of wrong information about iron ore and manganese mines in the media has sent wrong signals about the granite sector, and that's why the State government is not coming out with a positive policy. However, Tamil Nadu does not have these mines. The total size of the industry globally is $65 billion and export value of all stones (natural, granite, marble, sand stone, quartzite, pebbles and limestone) from India for the current year is $1.6 billion,” he said. In his keynote address, Japan Deputy-Consul General in Chennai Takayuki Kitagawa said: “Stone monuments make an integral part of Indian culture. People have been using this as an effective medium to express their thoughts and emotions with great skill. Taj Mahal, one of the greatest monument feats in India, is a valid symbol of how good India is at monument-making. “This exhibition will enable the countries to have a bird's eye view of the developing trends in the stone industry and will thus facilitate more co-operation and business opportunities between the countries.” Inaugurating the five-day fair, US Consul General in Chennai Andrew T. Simkin described it as a global industry and said the fair also provided an opportunity to develop knowledge and get adequate skill needed for work and expansion. IMMA president N. Ashoken said the industry faced challenges such as stagnant export price, exchange fluctuation, rising transport and fuel costs, uncertainty over tenure of leases and lack of trained manpower among other issues. Being held at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, the fair has attracted buyers and visitors from the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. About 55 exhibitors have taken up 216 stalls.
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