Ministers Assure Support for Coimbatore Growth at CII Meet

Coimbatore:
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Coimbatore Zone, under the aegis of the Coimbatore NXT initiative and in association with leading industry and business associations, organised a special interactive session with Tamil Nadu Ministers V. Sampath Kumar and K. Vignesh to discuss the region's growth priorities and strengthen government-industry collaboration.

The session brought together industrialists, entrepreneurs and representatives of major trade and business associations. Welcoming the gathering, Dr R. Nandini, Past Chairperson of CII Southern Region and Managing Director of Chandra Textiles Pvt. Ltd., said Coimbatore's growth has been driven by entrepreneurship, industrial resilience and strong collaboration between the government, industry and educational institutions. She reaffirmed CII's commitment to partnering with the government in advancing the city's long-term development.

V. Noushad, Chairman, CII Coimbatore Zone and Founder & Managing Director of Walkaroo International Pvt. Ltd., highlighted Coimbatore's emergence as one of India's most diversified industrial economies, with strengths in engineering, textiles, pumps, foundries, automotive components, healthcare, IT, education and Global Capability Centres (GCCs). He said Coimbatore NXT was created as a collaborative platform to drive infrastructure development, investment promotion, logistics, GCC expansion, semiconductor ecosystem development and urban transformation.

Arjun Prakash, Committee Member, Coimbatore NXT, presented the initiative's vision built around the three pillars of Growth, Visibility and Advocacy, while Sathish J., Committee Member, highlighted progress made through engagements with government departments on airport expansion, infrastructure, logistics, policy advocacy, regional branding and talent development.

Representatives from organisations including SIEMA, SIMA, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF), CREDAI, Kongu Global Forum, Siruthuli and other partner associations submitted a consolidated memorandum covering infrastructure, airport expansion, transportation, logistics, urban mobility, industrial competitiveness, MSME development, sustainability, tourism, education, water security and investment promotion.

Addressing the gathering, Minister for Prohibition and Excise K. Vignesh appreciated Coimbatore NXT for bringing the region's industry associations onto a common platform. He said strengthening drinking water supply, roads, sanitation and civic infrastructure remains the government's foremost priority before accelerating industrial expansion.

The Minister said the government has initiated long-term water planning to meet Coimbatore's growing urban and industrial demand. He highlighted ongoing desilting works and infrastructure improvements in the Siruvani and Pillur water systems to improve storage capacity and ensure sustainable drinking water supply.
He also announced that scientific remediation of the Vellalore dump yard has commenced. The accumulated waste spread across nearly 650 acres is proposed to be processed over the next eight to twelve months, after which less than 100 acres will be retained for modern waste management while the remaining reclaimed land will be utilised for public welfare and future development.