Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), Nov 6 (PTI) Coimbatore, a hub of the global gold jewellery industry, will soon have a gold jewellery industrial park in Kurichi SIDCO with an investment of Rs 126 crore, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday.
This project containing all facilities including a NABL-accredited laboratory, aims to provide direct employment to 2,000 people and indirect jobs to 1,500, he said, during his second-day visit to the city.
"This announcement follows a request during my interaction with the representatives of Coimbatore Gold Jewellery Manufacturers, and the Coimbatore Goldsmiths' Association on November 5," the chief minister said at a government function here.
He made a slew of announcements for Coimbatore including a new IT complex on 17.17 acre land in ELCOSEZ adjacent to the existing TIDEL park, that would employ 36,000 people, and extending the elevated flyover on the Avinashi Road for 5 km from Chinniyampalayam to Neelambur.
A special project will be implemented in the Coimbatore Corporation areas at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore to upgrade the roads not renovated for several years, and further improve the road infrastructure, the chief minister said.
A combined drinking water scheme at a cost of Rs 26 crore will be executed for the benefit of 38 villages in Anaimalai panchayat union and town panchayats of Kotur, Vettaikaranpudur, and Udaiyakulam and a similar project will be implemented for 295 villages in Pollachi North, Pollachi South, and Kinathukadavu panchayat union for Rs 51 crore, he added.
About Rs 7 crore would be spent to erect fences for a distance of 10 km to prevent human-animal conflict due to the movement of elephants and damage to crops in the Thondamuthur region, Stalin said.
Pointing to the economic turnaround he ensured after he took up the reins as chief minister, Stalin said Tamil Nadu's progress stood as a model in the nation and it was the second largest economy in India and most urbanised as well.
"Anna (former Chief Minister C N Annadurai) used to say that 'North is flourishing while South is waning.' But today we have made the South flourish. The South is liberally providing for the North today, a fact that can't be denied," he said about the rapid pace of development in the state.
He didn't believe in dispensing administration sitting in his office but preferred to be active on the field. "Let this not be forgotten," he said, and added, "let me remind you that Stalin who stands before you is known for executing sustainable projects that shine in the lives of the oppressed." PTI JSP KH