A residential area is seen surrounded by flood water in Chennai on Saturday, December 5, 2015. (Press Trust of India photo)
The two consecutive floods have crippled the industry in Tamil Nadu's capital Chennai. The community has suffered an estimated loss of at least Rs 600 crore. Now, many are worried that it could dent Brand Chennai.
R Antony who owns Nixon Engineering says, "We are in big trouble. It's very difficult. We expect the government to help us otherwise it would take a long time for us to recover."
Antony's factory, that manufactures auto components, was in waist deep waters at Chennai's industrial hub Ambattur till Friday. The city was flooded twice in two weeks. With no power the industry here has been crippled for close to a month. Antony suffered a production loss of Rs 50 lakh and equipment loss of Rs 80 lakh.
Thomas K Varghese, Secretary of Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers' Association, adds "When the government is talking about Make in India and going global frequent troubles like this would certainly affect the industry."
Though flooded, Chennai's IT industry didn't suffer as much loss but many are worried that the floods could have a negative impact on Brand Chennai. Aditya Krishna, Founder and Managing Director of Saksoft Ltd says, "It's a disaster. Nobody is coming now for seeing what's happening."
Many people say it may take a long time for Chennai's industry to bounce back.