Coimbatore TIDEL Park

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday called upon State government officials to record their notings in Tamil.

“It is my appeal that at least after having organised the Classical Tamil Conference, our officials, irrespective of their belonging to the IAS [Indian Administrative Service] or IPS [Indian Police Service], should prepare our files in Tamil,” Mr Karunanidhi said, declaring open the Coimbatore TIDEL Park here.

To the best of their ability, the officers should express their views in good Tamil and they should prepare themselves in this regard. It would not be good for the Tamil language if officers, selected through the Civil Services Examinations, spoke only in English.

The Chief Minister was referring to the speech of Principal Secretary (Industries) Rajeev Ranjan.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the TIDEL Park here would provide employment to 12,000 people. With more such parks, there would be industrial growth in the State and exports would increase. He recalled that Murasoli Maran was instrumental in setting up industrial parks in different parts of the State.

Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who also holds the portfolio of Industries, said the Chief Minister, in 2007, laid the foundation for the TIDEL Park. It had come up [over an extent of 10 acres] at a cost of Rs. 350 crore.

Mr. Karunanidhi established the State's first TIDEL Park in Taramani in 2000 and it had provided employment to thousands of youth. It was decided to open such parks in Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Salem, Madurai and Tirunelveli. Special economic zones were also coming up in these places. In 2008-2009, software exports from Coimbatore were about Rs. 220 crore.

The TIDEL Park here is a joint venture of TIDCO, ELCOT, TIDEL and STPI. Software companies in the State achieved Rs. 4,000 crore business in 2009-2010. The State had several advantages such as infrastructure, education, human resource.

Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja said an IT research academy, costing about Rs. 50 crore, would be set up in the Nilgiris district in a year. Poongothai Aladi Aruna, Information Technology Minister, said about Rs. 625 crore was invested for IT parks in Tier-II cities such as Madurai, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli.

P.W.C. Davidar, Principal Secretary (Information Technology), said the IT Special Economic Zone here had come up on 62 acres. In Madurai, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli, IT parks of about 50,000 sq.ft built-up area each would be inaugurated in a few months.
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi inaugurating the TIDEL Park in Coimbatore on Monday. Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin; Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja; Minister for Rural Industries Pongalur N. Palanisamy (second from left); IT Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna; Chief Secretary K.S. Sripathi (right); and Industries Secretary and Chairman of TIDEL Park, Coimbatore, Rajeev Ranjan (left), are in the picture. Photo: S. Siva Saravanan 

 Source-Hindu