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TN keen on Tidel Park-II -- Wants to include biotech park

Our Bureau

CHENNAI, July 9

THE Tamil Nadu Government is keen on going ahead with Tidel Park-II and is thinking of making it a ``knowledge park'' to include the biotechnology park also.

The Chief Minister, Ms J Jayalalithaa, on Saturday reviewed the various projects under the Industries Department. She was positive about going ahead with the second phase of the Tidel software park and even suggested that this be done on a bigger scale.

The thinking is to put up the biotechnology park also in the same area and name it a knowledge park. The idea is to have this knowledge park adjacent to the existing Tidel Park in Taramani.

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has signed an MoU with the Cornell University for the biotechnology park.

The Chief Minister is also reportedly keen that Tidel Park - II be built on a bigger, if not the same, scale than the first phase. The Tidel Park covers an area of about one million sq.ft.

The Government will have to decide whether it wants to construct Tidel Park - II through the State Government agencies like TIDCO and the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT), as was done in the first phase, or let the private sector do the cons truction with the Government acting as a facilitator.

It may be recalled that Larsen & Toubro and JTC of Singapore had proposed that they construct the Tidel Park - II with the Government's role being confined to that of a facilitator and taking a nominal stake in the venture. The thinking right now appears to be that both the Government agencies and the L&T-JTC combine do the projects simultaneously as there is expected to be demand for ready-built office space for the software sector in the next two-three years.

According to sources, Ms Jayalalithaa was also positive on the Nanguneri special economic zone, which is to be put up by a company called Advanced Technology Manufacturing and Assembly City. The company is believed to have tied up the first phase of fund s for about $140 million.

The sources said the Chief Minister also enquired about the fate of the Ennore LNG project and the Jayamkondam lignite mine-cum-power project.

The tender for the Ennore LNG project was bagged by a consortium including CMS Energy, the Aditya Birla group, Woodside Petroleum, Siemens and Unocal, while the Reliance-led consortium won the bid for the Jayamkondam project. The Chief Minister is expect ed to take up the Ennore LNG project, which is awaiting a suitable payment security mechanism from the Centre, with the Union Power Ministry.

Ms Jayalalithaa is also believed to have looked at a number of Government-owned companies, especially Tamil Nadu Cements, and the possibility of the Government disinvesting its stake in them.

This is could be done based on the report submitted by the S.V.S. Raghavan committee appointed by the previous DMK Government.