Best Cities 2014 Ooty: The city is a preferred destination for investment, healthcare and residential townships
The city is a preferred destination for investment, healthcare, and residential townships.
The city is a preferred destination for investment,healthcare, and residential townships.
Till a few years ago, the second-largest city of Tamil Nadu was 'a pit stop to Ooty', known mostly to tourists. Over a period of time, Coimbatore earned numerous labels, from 'Manchester of south India' to 'a senior citizen's city', to finally settle for one that defines its character- a self-made city.
The growth of Coimbatore, also known as Kovai, has been marked by steady progress in areas such as integrated transport plans, efficient solid waste management schemes and consistent improvement in the quality of living. As a result, it is now a choice destination for investment, healthcare and residential townships. Photos: Chennai is top city at India Today Best City Awards 2014
On the industrial front, it has more than 55,000 small, medium and largescale industries, estimates the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Coimbatore.
"There are about 730 small-scale industries in spinning and 198 non-SSI units in Coimbatore. The year-round exhibitions held by the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) are a proof of this expansion," says R.R. Balasundharam, former president of ICCI, Coimbatore.
As the second largest software producer in Tamil Nadu after Chennai, Coimbatore's Tidel Park is its most important information technology address. This is the second special economic zone for software after Coimbatore Hi-Tech Infrastructure.
"At least five more such zones are in the pipeline. Delegates from our chamber had visited Japan last year and invited investors," says Balasundharam. Earlier this year, a Chinese delegation headed by the Chinese Consul-General in Mumbai, Liu Youfa, visited Kovai. It expressed interest in partnering with Coimbatore on a textile park.
What the city now needs is a national manufacturing and investment zone, say experts. The reason for Coimbatore's success is the confidence it places in entrepreneurs. The latter also have not betrayed the trust and gone on to create some of the country's most successful brands such as The Chennai Silks and Sri Krishna Sweets.
"A Coimbatorean's sense of ownership for his city is so conspicuous that you can't help but take note of it every day," says Vanitha Mohan, managing trustee of the environmental NGO Siruthuli and executive director of Pricol Limited -a global engineering solutions provider.