The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has urged the authorities concerned to desist from the move to shift the Cashew Export Promotion Council office from Kochi. Established by the Government of India, the CEPCI office has been functioning in Kochi since 1955. “We came to know that the CEPCI office here, which has been functioning for 58 years, is being wound up for ‘administrative convenience’. The move comes at a time when Kochi is witnessing rapid development and is poised to become one of the fastest growing commercial hubs in the country. Kochi is also the seat of all the important trade bodies and Central and State Government offices,” ICCI president Nishesh Shah said in a press release.
“The presence of important offices as well as the infrastructure available in Kochi cannot be compensated elsewhere.
In the light of these factors, we strongly oppose the move and want action taken against the shifting of the decades-old CEPCI office,” the release said.
Earlier in 2007, there had been a similar move to shut down the office, but at the time, it had been thwarted by the prompt intervention of all stakeholders and pressure from all quarters,” the release pointed out.