Chennai: A new international airport with the capacity to handle 30 million passengers a year would come up in 2000 acres of land at Hosur, the industrial town bordering Karnataka and located about 40 km from Bengaluru, to develop the State’s infrastructure and give a boost to its industrial progress, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced on Thursday.
Making a statement under Rule 110 in the Assembly, Stalin also announced that a library and a knowledge centre named after M Karunanidhi would also be set up in Trichy, the city on the banks of River Cauvery that is also the granary of Tamil Nadu.
Hosur had emerged on the top of the State’s industrial development index as the major producer of electronic goods and electric vehicles (EVs) by attracting a plethora of investments in the last few years when the State became the number one in overall industrial development, generating more jobs for the youth, he said.
The State government had already initiated measures to convert Hosur into an important economic development to build infrastructure through several schemes and even implementing a master plan that would soon be completed, he said.
The new airport had been planned not just with the development of Hosur alone in mind but to ensure the progress of the Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri regions that would see a complete socio-economic growth through the implementation of the airport project.
With the DMK government giving importance to all districts in the industrial development front, the State had already become the numerous uno in promoting startup culture though it was in the last position in the country in 2020, he said.
In other areas, too, like production and export of motor vehicles, motor spares, leather goods, electronic products, Tamil Nadu was ahead of the other States and was fast moving towards realizing the dream of becoming a ‘US $ One Trillion Economy’ and attracting investments from all over the world.
Many industries were coming to the State because of its peaceful industrial climate and the trend was generating new employment opportunities for the youth, Stalin said the world class library and knowledge centre planned for Trichy will turn the granny of the State into a knowledge powerhouse, too.
Reacting to the announcement of the Hosur airport, State Minister for Industries T R B Rajaa said the project would greatly enhance connectivity and stimulate economic growth benefitting not only Hosur but also neighbouring districts like Dharmapuri and Salem, while providing significant boost to various parts of Bengaluru.
With Hosur’s excellent weather, the new airport would foster a twin-city ecosystem with Bengaluru, propelling growth in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Rajaa said, adding that it would turn out to be a game-changer for the region, providing a substantial boost to the infrastructure and economic landscape.
He said the credit for the growth and development of Hosur must go for former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who was perceptive enough to identify the potential of the region several decades back.
