The detailed project report (DPR) to develop a jewellery and MSME industrial park in Coimbatore is in the final stages of preparation, according to District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar.

The Collector told The Hindu that construction of the industrial park will commence after finalisation of the DPR and the tender process.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the project during his visit to Coimbatore last November and it is expected to benefit thousands of goldsmiths and the jewellery sector stakeholders in Coimbatore.

The park to be constructed at ₹126 crore will house MSME units and jewellery units in a 7.23 lakh sq.ft, seven-storeyed building at Kurichi.

Officials in Coimbatore said earlier that jewellery-related industrial associations such as the Coimbatore Goldsmiths Council and Coimbatore Artisans Gold Jewellery Manufacturers Association sought an integrated workspace structured as a workshop for establishment of NABL accredited labs in Coimbatore, creation of an export zone near the Coimbatore International Airport, and development of a jewellery park and raw material bank on totally 1.5 lakh sq.ft and reactivation of the defunct Goldsmith Welfare Board.

Based on this, the Chief Minister announced construction of the park at Kurichi on 3.41 acres. The officials said in February this year that bids would be finalised soon to decide on the consultant to do the DPR. Since the announcement of the project, the officials have held two or three meetings with all the stakeholders in Coimbatore.

Courtesy: The Hindu