Delays during DMK govt. is the reason industries moved to Andhra Pradesh, says Keerthana

Industries Minister S. Keerthana said on Saturday that two industrial houses, which had shown interest in investing in Tamil Nadu, moved to Andhra Pradesh only because of the inordinate delay they faced at different stages during the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government.

Facts and timelines

Speaking to reporters in Sivakasi, the Minister said she was in possession of certain “facts” that revealed the real reasons behind the industrial houses’ switching to the neighbouring State.

“I have proof for all these facts and will present them with the timelines at the Assembly,” Ms. Keerthana said.

“The TVK-led government is only 30 days old. Do you think any investor will change their mind within such a short period? It requires a long process, such as environmental clearance (for setting up industrial units). Only because of the delay (in those processes), they have left Tamil Nadu,” Ms. Keerthana said.

Charging that former former Minister T.R.B. Rajaa was still behaving like he was the Industries Minister, she said he would have to come to terms with the fact that people had voted for change. “It [the DMK] should be ready to accept this fact and respect the elected representatives and the people [who had voted them],” she said.

Ms. Keerthana said preparation of the vision document for transforming Tamil Nadu into a $1.5-trillion economy by 2036, as envisaged by Chief Minister C. Josephy Vijay, was under way. “It should be ready very soon”, she said, adding that the TVK-led government was in talks with few industrial units seeking their investments in the State, and signing of memoranda of understanding with them would happen soon.

Ms. Keerathana said she was ready to clarify on the borrowings made by the DMK government in the Assembly. “It would have been better if the [previous] government had spent the borrowed money for the benefit of the State’s people,” she added.