Atchchuveli attracts 52 investors

The first industrial estate in post war Sri Lanka, the Atchchuveli Industrial Estate attracted 52 investors said Traditional Industries and Small Enterprises Ministry Secretary Mr. Sivaghanasorthy at the public Library in Jaffna. Over half of the investors were in the food and beverage sector with the others being in the industrial products categories of tyre manufacturing, aluminium based products, wood carving, soap manufacturing and cement based products.

The secretary stated that with the establishment of this industrial zone we could increase the GDP contribution of the Northern province and provide employment to the youth of Jaffna.       

The Head of National Portfolio Development for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for Sri Lanka, Rohantha Athukorala presented the master plan of the proposed design and development project. The project will be the first Green Industrial Zone in the country according to Athukorala who explained the overall designs of the water, electricity, sewerage treatment facilities together with the internal road layout.

The project is funded by the Government of India. S. Srikanth the Vice Consular (DC) stated that as per the agreement the basic infrastructure facilities will be ready in the highest quality so that it will facilitate business.

Some of the key concerns of the prospective investors was if the project could be fast tracked from the current 14 months to around eight or nine months as many businesses want to start up quicker, said Yalpanam Chamber Chairman Mr. Poornachandran. Another query was the need for support services like market access, technology transfer and supply chain development training, apart from the model industrial zone that is to come up made by Professor Balachandran from Jaffna.

The divisional secretary to the Kopi area voiced the need for the industrial estate to be totally environmentally friendly if not it can have long term consequences even if the project has been approved by the CEA. Atchuweli IE is situated just three km from the town and in close vicinity to the Palali airport and KKS harbour.

The project is estimated to cost over Rs. 200 million in phase one. The estate will be ready for occupation by March 2013 said Athukorala on behalf of UNOPS. The next key task is the selection of the industrialist who will fall within the first of development according to Sivaghansoory.

The industrial estate came to being in Atchchuvely in the Jaffna District as far back in 1971 and it ceased functioning in 1989 due to the conflict in the region.

As a result of the degradation of the industrial estate by the effects of the conflict and was totally destroyed. With the end to the military operations of the three-decade long Sri Lanka conflict, there now exists the potential for the rehabilitation and development of the industrial estate at Atchchuvely that can spruce up business activity and provide employment

The significance of the industrial estate is that it is just 19 km to Jaffna via the Jaffna/Palaly road, 6.7 km to the Palaly Airport and 12.6 km to the Kankesanturai Harbour and 16km to Point Pedro Harbour, 16 km to Tellippalai Railway station and just 10 km to the Chunnakam railway station.