Coimbatore : Makkal Needhi Maiam's President, Kamal Haasan who is in the city to campaign for the electoral candidates for Coimbatore, Tirupur and Pollachi released a 24-point manifesto exclusively for Coimbatore constituency in the presence of Dr.R. Mahendran, VP of the party and the electoral candidate for Coimbatore constituency.
Coimbatore : Makkal Needhi Maiam's President, Kamal Haasan who is in the city to campaign for the electoral candidates for Coimbatore, Tirupur and Pollachi released a 24-point manifesto exclusively for Coimbatore constituency in the presence of Dr.R. Mahendran, VP of the party and the electoral candidate for Coimbatore constituency.
24-Point Manifesto for Coimbatore:
Industries:
1.Industrial Estates will be set up and 1 lakh new jobs will be created. Built-in-Kovai mission will be implemented to promote Coimbatore as a Special Investment Region (SIR).
2.GST on engineering job works, wet grinders, pump parts and coir products will be brought down to 5%.
3.Promotion of MSMEs: Efforts will be made to increase the share of MSMEs in the GDP of Coimbatore by ensuring credit and financial assistance, infrastructure development, marketing assistance and technology & quality upgradation.
4.Skill Development: Premium technical institutes will be set up to develop skilled work-force for major industries. Skill development centers will be established to facilitate skill based training to unemployed youth.
5.Food Processing Industry: 'Mega Food Park' will be built with modern food processing units supported by collection centers, primary/central processing centers, and cold storage chains.
6.Start-up Incubation Hub: Kovai-Hub incubator will be set up for manufacturing start-up communities at the intersection of government, corporate, academic and research sectors.
7. Clean and 24/7 water for all.
8. Athikadavu-Avinashi project will be expedited.
Infrastructure & Connectivity
9. Hut-Free TN: Hut-Free Coimbatore vision will be achieved and every household in Coimbatore will have access to affordable housing facility.
10. Aiport Development: Coimbatore airport infrastructure will be developed with a wider runway. Higher capacity for departure terminal, cargo terminal and cold storage cargo facilities will be set up.
11. Government Hospitals: All Govt. hospitals to have basic infrastructure, fully equipped trauma care units, ICUs and specialized doctors. Mobile diagnostic units and labs will be set up.
12. Smart City: Smart City project will be realised with metro rail, integrated bus terminal, multi-level parking complexes and free Wi-Fi.
13. Train Connectivity: Over-night train services to Bangalore on a daily basis will be established from Coimbatore. Infrastructure and passenger facilities at
Coimbatore North and Peelamedu railway stations will be upgraded.
14. Road Connectivity: Intra-city connectivity will be improved through flyovers. Periphery highways and outer-ring roads will be developed to improve connectivity with neighboring cities.
Farmer
15. Model Farms: 10 farms of 1 hectare each will be developed as model farms using innovative farming methods to obtain an annual profit of Rs. 2 lakhs per acre.
16. MSP for Farmers: MSP for coconut, copra and other perishable goods will be increased by a minimum of 20% of existing rates. All agricultural land will be brought under crop insurance scheme.
17. Uzhavar Sandhai: 'Uzhavar Sandhais' with improved infrastructure and mobile vans to sell goods across the region will be set up. Interlinked farmer-groups network will be created to procure and sell produce directly in domestic and export markets under a common brand name.
Clean Energy
18. Solar Parks: Solar Energy parks with a capacity of 250 MWs will be established.
19. Urban Reforestation: Green coverage in the city will be increased by 20%. 1 lakh new trees will be planted annually.
20. Waterbody Restoration: Noyyal river and degraded lakes will be restored through a scientific solid waste management plan and treatment of polluted water.
21. Waste Management: Advanced garbage disposal plants will be set up to dispose of daily produced garbage.
22. Man-Animal Conflict: Elephant corridors will be cured and adjacent villagers will be rehabilitated to modern housing complexes.
Human Resource Development
23. Education: Government schools and colleges will be made model of excellent education. 50 schools to be identified and upgraded to Hi-tech model schools.
Civil Society Participation
24. Ward Grievance Panel: An MNM initiative, Ward Grievance Panel will be initiated across 100 wards of Coimbatore, one social service-oriented youth will be appointed as "Ward Captain".
Speaking on the manifesto, MNM’s Deputy President and Coimbatore Electoral candidate, Dr. Mahendran said, “New industrial estates will be formed. Food processing units will be completed, GST will be reduced to 5 percent.” He also highlighted the other 24 points in the manifesto which focused on human–animal encounter, reformation of water bodies, city development projects and waste management.
When asked by a media person if it was possible to complete these projects in a span of five years, Kamal Haasan quipped, "Our first job is to make you believe that this is possible."
"Whatever project was announced before has not been completed in the announced time span. So we have lost belief that any project can be completed in the announced time span, which is very sad. The system has been corrupt and it is bad that we have ruined it," he opined.
He regaled the gathering with an old story of a person chewing on old beetel leaves and said, "The stuff that is to be eradicated should be eradicated, then we can do something healthy. You asked whether these projects are possible. Yes, but our first job is to make you believe that these projects are possible. We will start the development projects from the basic level in every constituency with separate manifesto for each constituency".
“As an actor, I have gained unconditional love from people. Now, when I meet people, I am enjoying a different type of love which was not experienced in these 60 years. The affection and trust showed by people, when I visit even a small village is like a glowing torch light in my eyes", expressed the MNM leader.
When questioned, if MNM is in the plans of forming an alliance with parties like TMC, Kamal reiterated that "There should be definitely a third front. I wish there should be a third Prime Ministerial candidate".
"I am interested in national politics. But my house is Tamil Nadu, so I need to clean my State first. Tamil Nadu is on the verge of a revolution. Everyone should be involved in this revolution", he added.
