“I think corruption will be number one on the list.” That was Junaith Babu, chief operating officer of G Square Housing, when asked at an India Today Tamil roundtable what scares investors away from Tamil Nadu.
The discussion, reported by India Today on Aug. 17, 2026, brought together industry leaders on investment and economic growth. They agreed the state has real strengths: a manufacturing base built over decades, a skilled workforce and economic activity spread across the state. But they warned none of it can be taken for granted as neighbouring states offer aggressive incentives for the same companies.
Approvals and transparency
Babu called for single-window clearances and online approvals. He said his company has seen faster approvals over the past three months, and that doing business has become easier.
Dr J. Rafiq Ahmed, executive chairman and managing director of JKothari Industrial Corporation, raised the gap between announcements and real projects. In his experience, he said, investments materialise when government and industry engage actively.
Roads, rail and ports
Jose Charles Martin, managing director of Charles Group, said the state must focus on transportation, logistics, water and electricity, and make better use of its ports and waterways. “We need to have railways to connect all these places, rather than having lorries,” he said, arguing that more rail would cut the cost of moving goods.
Beyond the big cities
The investors also saw room in smaller cities. Babu said activity already stretches across 20 to 25 towns, naming Coimbatore and Madurai, and that new infrastructure could drive real estate and jobs there. Ahmed said his group has invested in Perambalur and Karur. It is now moving ahead with a project in Ramanathapuram after a request from the chief minister.
Ahmed credited successive governments for the state’s industrial base, and said its ecosystem, stable policies and workforce attract investors. Babu pointed to engineering talent and the women’s workforce. The roundtable’s message, in the end, was that investment announcements have to turn into projects, and projects need infrastructure, quicker approvals and a transparent system.
