News: Anil focus on Tamil Nadu

(TT 10/09/2006) Chennai - Anil Ambani today said his group would invest Rs 12,000 crore to set up a 1,000-mw power plant, an information technology park and a desalination project in Tamil Nadu, besides establishing a special economic zone.

“The power plant would come up in north Chennai. The desalination plant would be capable of meeting 30 per cent of the city’s drinking water requirements,” he told reporters after calling on chief minister M. Karunanidhi at the secretariat here.

Union communications minister Dayanidhi Maran was also present during the confabulations.

Both these plants would be set up at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore, said Ambani, whose Reliance ADAG has diversified business interests ranging from infrastructure to finance to media and telecom.

Besides, Reliance Communications would set up an information technology park in the city, which would have a convention centre on a par with international standards. The project would cost Rs 2,000 crore, he said.

Ambani, who appreciated the investment climate in the state, said he had discussed the projects with the chief minister and that they could be implemented quickly with the support of the state government.

He also said he was happy to visit the city after a gap of 10 years.

Connect 2006

Overcoming challenges facing ‘infostructure’ (communication infrastructure) will help drive growth and productivity and make India globally competitive, Ambani said today.

“Our surest way of global competitiveness lies with people having information and connectivity anytime, any place, any form and anyhow,” he said at ‘Vision 2011 for Tamil Nadu’ at Connect 2006.

Ambani, whose Reliance Communications is expanding into the GSM space after emerging as a leader in the CDMA segment, said there was a need to look beyond things that were easily achievable. “We should not be satisfied with setting achievable targets and getting there, but should set impossible targets and achieve it.”