Chennai, June 10 (BPNS)

Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker, M. Appavu has written to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to appoint a committee to study the issue of several industries that remain closed in the state due to policies of the previous state government and central government.

M. Appavu requested the Chief Minister to sort out the problems of closing down industries and for the revival of these industries and said that 20 lakh skilled and unskilled workers had lost their employment.

He called upon the state government to take back the 2500 acres of land that was acquired for the Nanguneri Multiproduct Special Economic Zone conceived by then Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi which was smothered. The Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker requested Chief Minister Stalin to convert this land for establishing small, marginal, and medium industries.

M. Appavu also said that the Gangaikondan Information Technology Special Zone conceived by late Chief Minister Karunanidhi was also put under cold storage by the then government and wants Stalin to revive it.

He also said that the matchbox and firecracker industries of Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar districts provide employment to more than 10 lakh persons to fulfill 95% of the matches and firecracker requirements of the entire country are facing uncertain future. The Tamil Nadu assembly Speaker said that while wiping out these industries of the state, the Gujarat-based importers are being encouraged to import matchboxes and crackers from China which would destroy the Tamil Nadu-based industries.

He said that the Cotton prices are being deliberately jacked up to destroy the textile industries of the state after the Coimbatore-based pump industry was decimated by the central government policies.

M. Appavu urged the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to appoint a committee headed by a Secretary level officer to study these serious issues and ensure that these industries are revived at the earliest.