Industries in Chennai’s SIPCOT parks flag infrastructure gaps

Companies operating in SIPCOT Vallam Vadagal and Irungattukottai are grappling with major infrastructure bottlenecks. Adding to their woes, industrial units here say reaching the officials concerned to resolve these issues has become a challenge in itself.

“It is difficult to get appointments with key officials of the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT),” representatives of companies housed in the two parks said. Frequent power cuts are also a concern.

The Manufacturers’ Association of Vallam Vadagal Industrial Park has raised several issues, including non-functional streetlights along major stretches of the park; increasing roadside parking of trucks, leading to traffic congestion; and recurring interruptions in water supply, affecting industrial operations. The association has also called for regular police patrolling within the industrial park to improve security.

K. Baskaran, a committee member of Manufacturers’ Association of Vallam Vadagal Industrial Park, said: “It takes 45 minutes to reach my factory from the entrance with heavy traffic congestion even over a stretch of half a kilometre. The streetlights are not working, and when we raise the issue, we are told that there are no funds to operate them. We pay ₹2,500 per acre towards maintenance, yet basic infrastructure remains inadequate. We do not even have an EB substation.”

On behalf of the SIPCOT Irungattukottai Manufacturers’ Association, S. Thyagarajan said: “We face several infrastructure challenges such as power cuts, poor road conditions, and inadequate maintenance of storm-water drains. Though the contract for drain cleaning was cancelled and awarded to a new contractor, the work remains unsatisfactory.”

He also said that potholes needed to be properly filled, and several stretches of road required complete relaying rather than temporary patchwork repairs.

Companies have urged the State government to promptly address these issues, stressing that good infrastructure was essential for sustained industrial and economic growth.