CHENNAI: First, it was the Covid-19 pandemic, then came the rise in the price of raw materials, and now the continuous downpour from Wednesday night. All these have severely affected the industrial estates across Chennai. Populated by medium small and micro enterprises (MSMEs), the industrial estates at Thirumazhisai and Ambattur have been battling to save their machinery as water entered their premises.
“This may be only 25 per cent of what we witnessed during the 2015 floods but nevertheless it has impacted the manufacturing industry,” said A N Gireeshan, president of Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association. Gireeshan said the inundation happened at the northern phase of the estate after Avadi lake breached. The estate has 500 units. While many units are covered under insurance, the major challenge has been the disbursal of the amount which takes time, he said.
In Thirumazhisai Industrial Estate, most of the owners declared holiday following the inundation of the estate premises and power cut since Wednesday night. Water entered many units and its association secretary R G Chakrapani urged the government to redesign the stormwater drain. Most of the units have CNC machinery worth Rs 1-2 crore and during floods, they get damaged, he added.