Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru, Mar 1: Jeevan Saldanha was elected as the new chairman for Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mangaluru here at CII Mangaluru annual members’ day 2021 at Hotel Ocean Pearl on Monday March 1.

Chairman CII Karnataka Sandeep Singh said, “Last year, when we chalked out the plans of CII, we wanted to strengthen CII beyond Bengaluru. Mangaluru is a mix of ecosystem which is more effective. First year in Mangaluru was challenging and it is commendable to have 44 members in CII Mangaluru.”

Vice chairman CII Mangaluru Gaurav Hegde said, “It was most challenging for us was to put everything in place. All associations worked together for the growth of Mangaluru, but somewhere down the line, a link was missing. CII has been of a great help to connect with both state and central government.”

Newly elected chairman Jeevan Saldanha said, “The new team of CII hopes to share with you the vision of Confederation of Indian Industry, Mangaluru, for the betterment of our district and this region as a whole. We welcome the announcement by Nitin Gadkari, minister for Road Transport & Highways & Minister of MSME that a fresh DPR for the tunnel project through the Shiradi Ghats is ready and that tenders are called for land acquisition that is likely to commence soon.

“The initial project was envisaged with JICA (Japan International Co-operation agency) preparing the DPR at a cost of Rs 4,800 crore. The IISc report envisages 6 tunnels with a length of 12.6 km and a bridge of 1.5 km with a 100 mtr max spire. We need a rail link through the tunnel for both goods and passenger movement.

“Port connectivity to NMPT is very important as there is a diversion of cargo from the Hinterland to Tuticorin and Chennai Ports. NMPT has one of the fastest turnaround time for vessels among major ports. However cargo movement is affected due to the bottleneck of the Shiradi Ghats. Sikkim 33 km rail project with more difficult terrain and which has underground tunnels has been completed at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore.

“We need connectivity to Bengaluru in 3 hours. This is possible as the Vande Bharatam Train speed is 180 km, plying from Delhi to Meerut. This will improve the traffic movement to NMPT.

“We support the development of the highway to Moodbidri and Karkala via Gurpur, so that the industrial areas of Ganjimath as well as the interior areas will develop.

“We need to develop good service roads on either side of the highways when passing through villages and city areas so that people do not use the highways, which could also be the cause of accidents.

“The ring road project is to be expedited in order to decrease the traffic congestion in the City. It also opens up new areas for development such as for housing and waterfront activities.

“Affiliated bodies will be supported in all their projects. KCCI has taken up the IT Park project and we are supporting them in this important project as it will help to set up new IT companies in Mangaluru and provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to set up new IT and ESDM companies in Mangaluru. This will provide employment opportunities for a large number of students passing out of the various educational institutions in this district.

“Kanara Industries Association (KIA) has taken up the Industrial Township Authority Project for Baikampady as well as developing new industrial areas, which we will assist them in doing so.

“KIA is planning a Flatted Industrial Estate Project so that SMESs involved in Light duty conversion and warehousing need not be on the ground level only and can be located on multi-level structures and CII will lend support to them in this venture.

“KIA along with the Karnataka Cashew Manufacturers Association (KCMA) has been selected under the STRIVE II Project of the government of India and is one among only 30 industry clusters to receive a grant of Rs 1 crore for apprenticeship and skill development and we are supporting them in this effort.

“KCMA is planning a cluster project near NMPT to manage their raw cashew movements especially imports and we will facilitate the same.

“Kanara Plastic Manufactures Association has taken up the Plastic Park Project at Ganjimath and this has been sanctioned by the government and it is likely to commence soon.

“We will also work with the District Small Industries Association (DSIA) to develop Industries in the rural areas especially for women entrepreneurs as their women’s wing is very active and vibrant. Price Waterhouse & Coopers (PWC) has taken up the DPR to have a health and wellness corridor from Manipal to Konaje. CII will pursue this and facilitate the same through the support from the state and central governments.

“Setting up of a Pharma Park. We will work on setting up a Pharma Park as the central government is proposing to have a few Pharma Parks across India and we are perusing the same and scouting for land for this project.

“Industry academia collaborations, we would like to strengthen industry academia collaborations and bring about an ecosystem for entrepreneur development.

“MAHE, Mangalore University, Sahyadri Engineering College, St Joseph Engineering College etc are our members and are actively taking part in our programmes and we are looking to have an ecosystem for problem solving of industries and to take up R & D projects for industries as well as entrepreneurship development of students.

“KSPBC has revised the Consent fees for air and water on the basis of capital investment of the industries (Gross Block Original Investment). For up to Rs 25 crore, the increase is 30 to 40%. However, for large industries the increase is 4,000 to 5,000% (or 50 times) by charging on the basis of percentage of the capital investment.

“This has created a crisis during COVID times and industry has to pay crores of rupees just as consent fees. We have represented the same to C P Yogeshwar, minister for Ecology, Forests & Environment, government of Karnataka, to keep the notification under abeyance and to review the fee structure for all Industries, which has promised to do.

“CII will try to resolve some of the issues regarding the implementation of GST with the state and centre, in order to avoid undue hardship to trade and industry as well as help in ease of doing business.

“CII calls for the setting up of a separate Coastal and Malnad Tourism Development Authority to develop tourism and other related activities. The authority could develop and showcase surfing, water sports, house boats and beach resorts along with the unique cuisine of the Karavali region.

“This could help showcase and market the Karavali region as a unique Coastal and religious destination, so that tourists would stay overnight and this would help the overall economy such as hotels, conference centres, shops, restaurants etc. and thus provide employment to the people too.

“Women empowerment and entrepreneurship is another priority for us. The areas that enhance this opportunity is the IT industry and the tourism industry. We will therefore focus on both these areas and put in all our efforts to promote these areas aggressively. We need multi-level car parking facilities at strategic locations such as the business and shopping areas of the city. Proper approach roads to the Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction railway stations with adequate parking facilities.

“We also need more lung space for the city as it grows into a Smart City and we need to protect and develop parks, play areas for children, sports infrastructure such as cycling tracks, stadiums etc. Infrastructure projects will be followed up, such as the connectivity of roads, railways etc., and will strive to enhance our stature as a tier 2 city,” he said.

After the business session, a public session was held on the topic ‘Envisioning industry growth post pandemic’.

Vice chairman CII Karnataka Ramesh Ramadurai and others were present.

Former chairman CII Mangaluru K Prakash Rao welcomed the gathering.