|
|||
HOME | BUSINESS | NEWS |
May 9, 1998 |
On the highway to progressOn Friday, we reported how Tamil Nadu has become a favourite destination for foreign investors. In this segment of the feature, Shobha Warrier surveys the facilities that have helped the state rise to the number 3 spot in the national investment rankings. Tamil Nadu's road network ranks second in the Indian states. Out of the road length of 204,475 kms, 148,472 kms are surfaced roads. For every 1,000 sq kms in Tamil Nadu there are 1,572 kms of roads as against the all-India average of 663 km Traffic has grown at around 10 per cent and with the entry of the automobile giants, further growth is expected. The government is trying to develop many roads to industrial parks and ports as highways and expressways on a toll basis, with help from the private sector. Already, there's a plan to develop an elevated expressway at Ennore to connect the petrochemical park to the city. The only question if road-users will like to pay toll. According to R Gopalan, chairman and managing director, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, "When you have good roads, industries won't mind paying toll."
AutomobilesOne reason automobile giant Mahindra Ford put up a factory in Madras was because Tamil Nadu has a strong base in automobile components. Coimbatore, Erode, Madras and Salem have already made their name, and the presence of the TVS group, the Murugappa group, among others have given the state an edge over other states. Now many companies with foreign collaboration are set to raise the standards of Indian exports too. Tamil Nadu provides 50 per cent of India's automobile component exports. Also, of the few automobile components the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce exports to Germany, 60 per cent comes from the state. The TVS group, the Amalgamations group and the Rane group together contribute 27 per cent of India's automobile component requirement.
LeatherIndia has 4.5 per cent of the global leather market. Seventy per cent of India's leather tanning capacity is in Tamil Nadu, amounting to an annual turnover of Rs 45 billion. According to T R Gopalan of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, leather makes up 27 to 28 per cent of their exports to Germany.
PortsThere are 11 ports along India's 7,000 km coastline of which two -- Madras and Tuticorin -- are in Tamil Nadu. The state itself has a 1,000-km coastline, with the capacity of developing two intermediate ports, at Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, and seven minor ports -- Colachel, Ennore, Kanyakumari, Pamban, Poonakayal, Rameswaram and Valinokkam. The government is planning to develop all these ports. Though the total cargo handling capacity of India's ports is 11.88 billion MT, in 1996-97, only 227.2 million MTs were handled. Of this, the Madras Port Trust handled a record 35.53 million tonnes. Tamil Nadu's national standing: Tamil Nadu India %age Rank Land area (sq km) 130,000 3,287,000 3.9 9 Population 63m 960m 6.3 7 GDP (US$) 23b 351b 6.3 3 Literacy (%) 62.7 52.2 Per capita income ($) 381 366 Per capita (as per PPP) 1,802 1,731 Org. sector employment 36% 8.5% SDP ($) 23b 3 Factories in operation 18,552 2 Workers employment 2 Gross Industrial Output-factory sector 3 Value addition in industry 2 State export intensity 1/3rd of industrial output Currency exports ($) 5.3 b Yearly export growth rate 12-15%
Traditional strengths of the state: Traditional strength State's share Heavy commercial vehicles 27% Auto components 35% Railway coaches 49% Cotton yarn 32% Leather tanning 70% Mopeds 46% Motor cycles 13% Newsprint 17% Power driven pumps 50% Software 32%
|
Tell us what you think of this report
|
|
HOME |
NEWS |
BUSINESS |
CRICKET |
MOVIES |
CHAT
INFOTECH | TRAVEL | LIFE/STYLE | FREEDOM | FEEDBACK |