Plagued by a lack of response, the Tamil Nadu Government postponed its much-touted Global Investors Meet 2015 yet again.
The main reason for the second postponement was the delay in preparing for the event, scheduled to be held in Chennai on May 23-24, on the part of the Tamil Nadu Government.
Initially scheduled to be held in October 2014, the event was postponed after J Jayalalithaa was forced to step down as Chief Minister following her conviction on corruption charges a month earlier. It was then rescheduled to May 2015 in the hope that she would be acquitted by the Karnataka High Court well before that.
This did not happen but the State Government kept waiting and eventually left it too late to organise the two-day international jamboree. After a while, the deadline became impossible to meet, say representatives of industry associations. “What can I say? I was shocked, but frankly it was the only thing to do,” said an industrialist reacting to the Government’s decision.
At an industry-government interaction on the GIM on Monday, it was pointed out that international delegations firm up their calendar at least six months in advance. “How do we put together a team in just one month?” asked a industry representative.
No registrations Though roadshows on the GIM have been on across the country and abroad, “not one delegation has registered,” admitted an official at the meeting.
“GIM cannot fly without the lady,” the industrialist said. It was Jayalalithaa who announced the plan to organise a global meet to showcase the State as an investment destination and, to use her favourite phrase, present it as the ‘numero uno’ State in the country.
Decision-making lacuna The industry acutely feels the absence of a strong decision making authority in the State with the present Chief Minister O Panneerselvam seen as a stand-in.
Ironically, over a thousand hotel rooms were blocked in Chennai, a travel portal was tied up with for tickets, three tour organisers were commandeered in the city for cabs, dedicated immigration counters at the airport were organised… all that for nothing now.