Tuesday, June 7 2005 12:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today (Jun 7, 2005) demanded a 10-year exemption from excise duties on goods manufactured by new industrial units in tsunami hit districts.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, she also requested exemption from excise duties on steel, cement, pipes and other construction materials/equipment used for establishing new industrial units and building infrastructure for a three year period in these districts.

This was necessary to give a big push to revitalising the economy of the tsunami hit districts and to promote growth, the Chief Minister said.

She drew Dr Singh's attention to orders issued by the Centre, granting excise duty exemption to excisable goods manufactured by new industrial units in Kutch, Gujarat, devastated by an earthquake on January 26, 2001 and to similar orders extended to Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, with a view to accelerating industrial development.

She said she had requested the Union Home Minister, during the 23rd meeting of the Southern Zonal council at Pondicherry on May 31, to take up this issue urgently so that the notification could be issued early.

Exemption from excuse duties on all construction material would attract large-scale investments from corporate industrial houses, to restore and improve infrastructural facilities in these districts, she said.