Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) need time to pay their electricity charges due this month, and also want a moratorium of three to six months to repay their loans, said C.K. Mohan, vice president, Chennai District MSME Association.
S. Vasudevan, vice president of the Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association, and Mr. Mohan, along with coordinators of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Electricity Consumers Association, told presspersons in Coimbatore on Friday, December 8, 2023, that several MSMEs at the industrial estates in Chennai were yet to resume operations. At the Vichoor Industrial Estate, of the 110 units, nearly 30 were totally submerged in water. Machinery worth several lakhs has been damaged. While the units that had insurance cover will get some relief, the others have suffered heavy losses, they pointed out.
The State government should include the losses suffered by the MSMEs in the relief fund sought from the Central government. The Centre should include the MSMEs under the National Disaster Relief Fund. “The government should find a permanent solution for estates such as Vichoor, so that the MSMEs are not affected by rainwater flooding,” Mr. Mohan said.
