“Salem district is fast emerging self-content in infrastructure needs with good road, rail and air connectivity, which will be much conducive for sweeping industrial development in western zone next to Coimbatore,” according to Veerapandi S Arumugam, Agriculture Minister.

The Minister detailed various mega development works of the State and Central governments being executed at a cost of Rs. 3500 crore. He was addressing the media here on Sunday.

The development of IT Park had already begun. The ELCOT, the main executing agency of IT Parks in the State, would develop the plots and hand over the same to IT and ITES firms. “Besides four well-known firms, a few others have expressed their interests. We have decided to woo even smaller firms by allotting a minimum of one acre to 5 acres to develop,” he said.

With the commissioning of the Salem Railway Division, the rail connectivity to the city from various parts of the State had vastly improved. As Kingfisher Airlines had begun operating flights, the long time demand for air connectivity to this part of the State had also been fulfilled. “We have written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to install warning lights atop the hills that surround the airport along with night landing facilities,” he added.

The road network had undergone a vast change with Salem-Bangalore, Salem-Karur-Madurai, Salem-Chengapalli-Coimbatore becoming four-lanes. “Works on the Salem-Attur-Chennai road at a cost of Rs 136.36 crore also are underway,” he said. While the Salem Steel Plant was on the expansion mode with Rs. 1750 crore, the construction works on the Super Speciality Hospital at a cost of Rs. 139.91 crore would be completed next year. The Thermal Power station at Mettur would add a 600 MW power in addition.

Source: THE HINDU