Ranipet industrialists want revival of closed units

RANIPET: They believe that restarting such meets would give a fresh life to the industrial estates which are already in the doldrums, according to sources.

“Such meetings were held at specific durations more than 25 years ago, but were stopped later. Unless we complain, officials do not have any idea of the condition of the industrial estates as of now,” a senior entrepreneur seeking anonymity revealed.

Disclosing that such measures were vital to revive the industries, those in the know said failing industries had resulted in workers (skilled and unskilled) preferring to work in the construction industry in Chennai.

“With a season pass, they are willing to travel by rail to Chennai where they earn slightly more than what we used to pay them,” said another industrialist.

The 8,000-strong work force earlier has been whittled to less than 3,000 now and the industrial estates themselves present a bleak picture with closed units and potholed estate roads.

Ancillaries which relied on BHEL’s BAP (Boiler Auxilieries Project) had to shut down due to lack of orders. Other issues, including GST, have also affected the units badly.

“Demand to pay GST even before industries receive payment from customers results in the working capital being affected which nobody seems to understand,” lamented an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in industry. “When we ourselves receive payments piecemeal, we do not know why the government should demand immediate payment of GST,” he queried.

Workers also face many issues. Lack of enough drinking water and soil contamination by chemicals from the closed TN Chromates and chemical units have resulted in most people preferring to commute from Vellore, 25 km away. While such workers are brought by company buses or town buses, those living in Tiruvalam, a short distance from SIPCOT, Ranipet, are unable to reach units by autos as the latter cannot cross district borders.

Tiruvalam is in Vellore district while SIPCOT is in Ranipet and hence workers are forced to travel in already overcrowded buses, lamented Shanmugamani, a local worker.

“Hence, such issues will be understood only if top department officials visit the area and see for themselves the sorry plight of the units. Also, only if such estates are revived will jobs be created for locals,” added a unit holder.