GIM: World comes to Tamil Nadu

Chennai: South Chennai came under a high security blanket on the eve of the first Global Investors Meet (GIM) being hosted by Tamil Nadu. The event will see the participation of top honchos. Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa will inaugurate the event at Nandambakkam here.

Sharing the dais with her will be Union minister of state for road transport and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan and Union minister of state for commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman.

According to sources, the inaugural will be for about 90 minutes, including the CM’s address followed by state and Union ministers’ speeches and welcome note on Tamil Nadu’s conducive business ambience by industry captains.

With more than 100 MoUs expected to be inked over the next two days, paper works and contract verification documents are all finalised and almost ready. Only the documents have to be exchanged between the state and the investors with a formal signature at the venue, said sources.

Industry department offices like Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation and State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu were busy till Monday evening as the invited representatives of the business firms were there to see the proof of final documents to be exchanged during the meet.

At the venue, the entire state cabinet is now working overtime. “With secretaries being linked up with the respective sectors in the GIM, the department section heads had also been advised to help their senior officials at Nandambakkam.

Some departments like industries, energy, health, information and IT will not have many officials at secretariat and there are no official appointments and review meetings for the next two days,” an under secretary told Deccan Chronicle.

With the event seen as a political trump card for the ruling party ahead of assembly polls next year, party district secretaries and local MLAs are working late night erecting large-sized banners and hoardings welcoming the Chief Minister to the event.

Special police control room, team at airport

A special control room of the city police and a team consisting of three assistant commissioners and 300 police personnel at the Chennai airport, are working over time to assist hundreds of delegates arriving from abroad to attend GIM.

The control room is also coordinating with CISF and revenue officials for the smooth arrival of foreign and Indian nationals and their transportation to their respective places of stay, airport sources said.

It may be noted that senior executives of Airports authority of India during their visit to Chennai airport last month, had already told the officers stationed here to extend all help in handling the guests for the GIM. Accordingly, the airport received a face-lift with more artifacts being placed at various corners to attract attention of the delegates.

Special immigration counters and special customs counters were also opened to reduce waiting time for the GIM guests. The 300 police personnel, working 24X7, are helping delegates from collecting the baggage, escorting them out and also taking them to their places of stay. These police personnel will be available for the guests for help throughout their stay in Chennai.

The special CISF team, comprising 24 members, would help the guests as soon as they disembark from the flight till they collect their baggage from the conveyor belt. Later, the police team would take over. A revenue team comprising an officer in the rank of RDO, is also functioning at the airport coordinating with the police and CISF team for GIM.