COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) plans to allot parcels of land to various companies to set up their manufacturing units at the Aerospace and Defence (A&D) Park at Varapatti in Sulur taluk in the district from next month.
TIDCO has already acquired 364.20 acres in the village for the park.
“We obtained prior environmental clearance from the central govt to set up the park. The allottable area is 260 acres, and the rest of the area will be used for the development of common facilities. Many major players have approached TIDCO for land allocation. We plan to allot the lands to the companies under a 99-year lease period from next month,” said B Krishnamoorthi, project director, TIDCO.
While the Coimbatore district administration acquired the 364.20 acres for the project, TIDCO paid Rs 108.76 crore for the land acquisition.
District collector Kranthi Kumar Pati said that the land acquisition was completed, and the district administration handed over the land to TIDCO for the next level of development.
“We are planning to create plug-and-play office space at Varapatti for many startups. This will become the first Aerospace and Defence Park in Tamil Nadu,” Krishnamoorthi said.
He said TIDCO is going to acquire 197 acres of land adjacent to the Indian Air Force (IAF) Station at Sulur Air Base to set up another A&D Park. TIDCO is going to acquire the land from three villages – Kadampadi, Kangeyampalayam, and Appanaickenpatti, which fall under the Coimbatore district, and Paruvai village, which falls under the Tirupur district.
The Coimbatore district administration has created a special unit exclusively for land acquisition in these villages. “We are going to issue notification to the landowners under the Industries Act, and the land acquisition work will begin soon,” an official said.
Krishnamoorthi said that another aerospace and defence park would play a vital role in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO – a set of activities that keep equipment, machinery, and facilities in working order) adjacent to the Sulur Air Force Station. BHEL, several aviation industries and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) have also expressed interest in setting up their units at the park.
“These industrial sectors will generate more employment opportunities in Coimbatore district, and the rural parts of Coimbatore will also grow rapidly,” Krishnamoorthi said.
