CII urges political parties to develop Thoothukudi as a maritime and manufacturing cluster

Thoothukudi should be developed as a port-led, integrated, maritime and manufacturing cluster, leveraging V.O. Chidambaranar Port and the proposed 3,000 acre ship building ecosystem, to establish a globally competitive hub for shipbuilding, logistics, and allied industries in Tamil Nadu, said the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Tamil Nadu in its suggestions to political parties.

Thoothukudi can be developed as a low-carbon maritime manufacturing hub, aligning industrial growth with Tamil Nadu’s sustainability goals. A ship building cluster should also be encouraged there to emerge as a self-sustaining ship building ecosystem by anchoring workforce and supply chains locally and by using the existing Central government schemes, it added.

On the energy front, to make green hydrogen a viable option for the manufacturing sector in the State, it is crucial to subsidise its price to below $ 2 a kg. With advancements in technology expected over the next decade to make green hydrogen production more economically competitive, this subsidy should be provided in a time-bound manner for the next 10 years.

A Spaceport should be developed at Kulasekarapattinam and the testing centre in Mahendragiri should be upgraded. Further, a dedicated Space Corridor inter-connecting these two key ISRO stations in Tamil Nadu should be developed.

With Tamil Nadu recognised as a leading manufacturing hub, it should have a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Industry 4.0., it added.

CII Tamil Nadu chairman C. Devarajan submitted a copy of the CII’s suggestions to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during his recent visit to Erode.