Agri and All Trade Chamber offers land for building convention centre in Madurai; seeks TIDCO support

The Agri and All Trade Chamber has appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to devise an exclusive strategy and allocate funds which would facilitate improvement in the trade, industry, investment and export opportunities in southern districts of Tamil Nadu.Submitting a comprehensive pre-budget memorandum to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and State Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson, a copy of which was released to the media on Thursday, Chamber president S. Rethinavelu said that the convention and trade centre was a very important infrastructure for the development of southern districts.A trust headed by the Chamber’s president has earmarked about 20 acres on the outskirts of Madurai near Thirupparankundram for a convention and trade centre. The trust plans to establish the facility on the lines of the Chennai Trade Centre and the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex in Coimbatore.The trust has expressed its willingness to offer the land and sought equity contribution from the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) for establishing a convention and trade centre under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. It said the project would contribute to the overall economic development of the southern districts.The memorandum said a five-pillar growth strategy for the southern districts would provide a fillip to industry. It urged the government to focus on tourism, agriculture and food processing, MSMEs and manufacturing exports, and the knowledge economy and skill development.For instance, under the tourism economy, heritage theme parks comprising the Pandya dynasty, the Sangam era, Jain heritage, Tamil literature and folk arts could be established in Madurai. With the Madurai Central Prison being shifted outside the city, the Tamil Nadu government could examine the feasibility of setting up the heritage theme park there.Yet another proposal could be to establish an air-conditioned ropeway for viewing the towers of the world-famous Meenakshi Amman Temple around the Chithirai Streets. The Vaigai river could also be developed as a promenade, with facilities such as walking tracks, boat rides and cultural plazas.With the All India Institute of Medical Sciences coming up in Madurai, medical tourism would be another major industry benefiting southern districts.The memorandum said the Metro Rail was not a luxury but a necessity for Madurai, and stressed the importance of developing the Madurai airport. It said that when more flights with direct international destinations are introduced, not only Madurai but also southern Tamil Nadu would become a centre for businesses of tiny, small, medium and large-scale industries in various sectors. Published - July 30, 2026 10:42 pm IST