Golden joy for Ambattur

M.Sowmiya

Chennai, 24 August 2015: Fifty years is a long time but for many entrepreneurs of Ambattur Industrial Estate, itseems like just yesterday they started off with small ventures.

Ambattur Industrial Estate, known as one of the biggest in South East Asia, celebrated 50^th anniversary last week. Speaking to K R Ramaswamy, industrialist and member of AIEMA (Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufactures Association) says he vividly remembers coming to the neighbourhood with his meager machinery and man power in 1971. Now his company has grown big and is being taken care of by his sons.

He credits former President R Venkatraman for facilitating the project and giving young graduates a chance. Ramaswamy feels the Ambattur Industrial Estate has even more untapped potential and can further be enhance. The estate has given the neighbourhood a face and put in on the global map, feel many.

Secretary of Thiruvengada Nagar Residents Association S Suresh says, the presence of Ambattur Industrial Estate ensure job opportunities to plenty of women. Although initially it was felt that the area was unsafe for women, later AIEMA began development programmes such as laying better roads, street lighting and a good ambience which came as a relief to many.

With more employment, the neighbourhood saw flats and high rises mushrooming creating a residential as well.

Paul Durai, who runs a sugar and cement manufacturing firm, says that Ambattur Industrial Estate was setup 52 years ago but its functional was for the past 50 years.

He says the import and export companies and automobile units are doing extremely well and the estate has regular sports activities and coaching centres for training youngsters.

He says of late the software companies are gaining a massive foothold. The reason he says is that while an engineering form plans to buy land for Rs 50 lakhs, a software company offers 5 crore for the same. Now, other industries are selling their plans and relocating of the city limits. Another reason, he says is that manufacturing industries are blamed for polluting the environment.