NEW DELHI: The possibility of extending the Chennai-Vishakapatnam Industrial Corridor to Colachel in Kanniyakumari district via Tuticorin was discussed on Tuesday during a meeting between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and Union commerce and Industries Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Ms Jayalalithaa also agreed to appoint a special officer to deal with export-related industries functioning from Tamil Nadu based on a request from Ms Sitharaman, who called on her at the Tamil Nadu House here.
“I spoke to the CM about extending the Vishakapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor down south to Tuticorin and also offered that it can be extended westward till Colachel to make the industrial corridor in the state more vibrant.
The CM said she would send a team to the commerce and industry ministry to discuss the matter,” Ms Nirmala told reporters after the meeting.
The Union Government had in 2014 proposed to build an industrial corridor between Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Ms Nirmala said she had expressed the Centre’s intention to extend it to Tuticorin from Chennai during the Global Investors’ Meet in September 2015. Now, the Centre wants to extend it further to Colachel, where a port is being planned.
To a specific question, Ms Nirmala said she did not discuss the Goods and Services Tax issue with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister since she is confident that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will talk to Ms Jayalalithaa seeking the support of Tamil Nadu and also her party.
“My discussions were just related to commerce and industries. I did not discuss GST…. we are seeking cooperation from every state government and today’s meeting with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister was in that direction,” she said, replying to a question on whether the AIADMK and BJP were coming together. Sitharaman also discussed about developing a dedicated logistical hub in TN to boost the port-based ecosystem under Sagarmala project.
The VCIC will be India's first coastal economic corridor. Spanning over more than 800 km of India's eastern coastline, the VCIC is part of India's East Coast Economic Corridor. ADB is helping in drawing up a master plan for this.
