Coimbatore’s economy will get a thrust with expansion of airport, cricket stadium: MP Ganpathi P. Rajkumar

Newly-elected MP of Coimbatore discusses economic benefits of airport expansion, cricket stadium, and textile industry revival at Texfair.

Expansion of the Coimbatore International Airport and the construction of a cricket stadium in Coimbatore will bring economic benefits to the district, said Ganapthi P. Rajkumar, the newly-elected Member of Parliament of Coimbatore.

Inaugurating the 14th edition of Texfair, a textile machinery, accessories, and fibres exhibition organised by the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), Mr. Rajkumar said almost 30% of the MSMEs in Coimbatore are shut, and there was now an urgent need to revive the textile industry. “I will take up your issues in Parliament,” he told participants at the fair.

On the Coimbatore airport, he said almost 95% of the land had been acquired for expansion. “We will finish the rest soon,” he said.

On the issue of GST, Mr. Rajkumar said The GST for gold and diamonds was 3% to 4%, while that for biscuits, which a common man consumes, was 18%. MSMEs are asking for 5% GST. These are issues that had an impact in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. “There is no anti-incumbency against us (the DMK-led State government). The anti-incumbency is against the Central government,” he said.

The Centre cannot implement schemes at the ground level without the State government. The Centre and the State should work together. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is ready to cooperate, he added. “Our approach is holistic...We need to protect the workers and the industries...I will contribute towards the revival of industries in Coimbatore,” he added.

According to K.V. Srinivasan, chairman of the International Textile Manufacturers’ Federation, the Federation conducts regular surveys of textile machinery and textile industries. In 2023, China was the largest manufacturer of textile machinery and also absorbed 40% of the produced goods. Of the 10 million spindles manufactured, China absorbed about 4.5 million spindles and India installed 2.3 million. However, China is seeing structural changes and its share in the global textile market is declining. This is now being occupied by Bangladesh and Vietnam and to some extent, by India, he said.

Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, Rakesh Mehra, said Tamil Nadu will gain from the increasing textile business because it has the entire textile value chain in the State. The Indian textile and clothing industry is looking at a total size of USD 350 billion in the next seven to eight years, he said.