FICCI Kerala State Council has welcomed the budget allocation for development of industrial parks, which it thinks will attract more investments in electronics, food processing, petrochemicals and defence sectors in Kerala, but the flood cess is thought of as a dampener.
FICCI State co-chair Deepak K. Aswani said the development of Kochi-Coimbatore industrial corridor, plans for new north-south rail corridor, setting up of industrial park near Kannur International Airport, and the overall infrastructural development near Vizhinjam airport were moves in the right direction. But more efforts were required to cut down the government’s expenditure and provide more funds for development activities. “People of Kerala have suffered in the floods in 2018 and imposing an additional burden for two years in terms of flood rehabilitation cess is not in good taste,” he said.