Salem, Feb 22 (KNN) With K. Palaniswami, hailing from the Salem district assuming charge as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the hopes of MSMEs for government working on their long pending demands have revived.

The people in the district are doubtful that Palaniswami will continue to remain the CM as according to them the mass is with Pannerselvam but at the same they are hope

The MSMEs set up around the Salem Steel Plant of SAIL have been asking the government to make use of 2500 acres of vacant land that the steel plant has for the benefit of industrial sector. They have been making the demand for more than a decade now.

Apart from this, the downstream industry around the plant has been alleging that they have not bagged any orders from Salem Steel Plant since last 30-40 years.

Why the plant is not procuring 20% from MSEs in the district is still a big question for them.

“They don’t procure from the units set up around the plant for their development. They should do so for the development of the sector,” said an MSME entrepreneur from Salem.

Talking to KNN, Salem District Small Scale and Tiny Industries Association (SADISSTIA) President K Mariappan said the plant has around 4,000 acres of land earmarked, of which about 2,500 acres has been kept vacant.

Mariappan said the association recently met the state industries minister and is planning to meet the new chief minister for utilization of vacant land.

SADISSTIA has been urging the state government as well as Centre to set up an integral coach factory to exclusively manufacture stainless steel coaches, biometric toilets by utilising the stainless steel sheets that are being manufactured in the Salem Steel Plant.

The move would not only utilize the vacant land of the steel plant but would also generate business for hundreds of downstream industry set up in the area.

The MSME entrepreneurs also revealed that there was a proposal to set up a Common Facility Centre in the premises for which the land allotment was refused to them.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Government has put a cap on land allotted to large industries and has decided to include the value of land and machinery in the amount of investor proposed by the investor. The move aim to curb misuse of land allotted to the big industries.

Salem MSMEs want the Tamil Nadu Government to take similar steps. (KNN Bureau)