SALEM | October 4, 2016: The Salem District Small Scale and Tiny Industries Association (SADISSTIA) has urged the Union Ministry of Steel and Mines to take initiative to revive the Salem Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

A resolution to this effect was adopted at the annual general body meeting of the SADISSTIA held in the city recently.

Of the 4,000 acres earmarked for the Plant, about 2,500 acres has been kept vacant. The SADISSTIA urged the Ministry to set up an integral coach factory to exclusively manufacture stainless steel coaches, biometric toilets by utilising the stainless steel sheets that are being manufactured in the Salem Steel Plant.

During the formation of Salem Railway Division eight years ago, the Centre sanctioned an approval to set up an integral coach factory in about 1,000 acres in Kerala.

But the Kerala Government is unable to acquire the required land to set up the integral coach factory.

The Government of Tamil Nadu should take all efforts to bring that project for implementation on the premises of Salem Steel Plant. By doing so hundreds of downstream industries and also a MSME hub to manufacture various kinds of stainless steel products can be set up by which the economy of Salem district will be boosted, the resolution stated.

Another resolution called upon the state government to take steps to set up an industrial estate in the existing vacant land adjacent to the exiting IT Park through Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO).

The 25 executive members have unanimously elected K.Mariappan as president, M.V. Sellamuthu as general secretary and D. Balasundaram as honourary treasurer. M. Ilangovan, S. Kuppusamy, V. Ramanathan and K.Eswaran were elected as vice-presidents. D. Chandran and D.Vijayanand were elected as joint secretaries.

(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)