Allow us to resume work, powerloom units in Coimbatore and Tirupur tell chief minister

COIMBATORE: The powerloom unit owners in the district and neighbouring Tirupur have appealed the state government to allow them to resume operations like the other industries with limited workforce.
In a letter to chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday, members of the Association of Job Working Powerloom Units in Coimbatore and Tirupur said there were five lakh workers dependent on the sector in both the districts and they were staring at uncertainty because of the closure of the units for the past several days.
“There are about 2.5 lakh powerloom units in the two districts and several of them are small and micro units. The closure of these units has hit the livelihood of the workers,” the letter read.
They said orders from textile manufacturers had dried up because of the lockdown and they were under duress, because of the commitments to repay bank loans.
The association members said since several industries had been allowed to function, powerloom units too be permitted to overcome the financial constraints. They said the small units employ only two or three workers and they would strictly enforce the Covid norms like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
The association also urged the chief minister to allow them to pay electricity charges in three instalments without penalty, as they were short of funds.