May Day gloom: All units in Telangana's Sircilla Textile Park closed

RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: The worst fears of weavers employed at various units of Sircilla Textile Park came true on Sunday. As reported earlier, the owners of these units, faced with heavy financial crisis, shut shop, leaving around 1,500 employees to their fate. Ironically, the decision to close down the units came on a day when the workers should have been celebrating the International Workers’ Day.  

Of the 117-odd units, around 50 units were closed earlier and the remaining were shut on Sunday. With the closure of all the units, which at least for now looks indefinite, the Park wore a deserted look with the desolate employees unsure where their next meal would be coming from.

Speaking to Express, Textile Park Units Owners Association president Annal Das Anil said: “We are not sure for how many days the units will be shut. There is no clarity at this juncture. Until and unless the government lends a helping hand, the closure of our units will be indefinite.”

Comparing the situation in Telangana with other States, he said: “In Maharastra, the textile manufacturers are supplied electricity at Rs 3.50 per unit. In Tamil Nadu, electricity is supplied free of cost for up to 500 units. However, the textile manufacturers in Telangana have to pay Rs  7.50 per unit.” 

In addition to spiralling costs of raw material, the manufacturers are also being burdened by the ever increasing prices of yarn and transport charges, he added.Manchala Rajamesham, an employee of Laxmi Textiles, lamented that there is no other source of income for the weavers. “We are in a very bad situation. If these textile units remain shut, we don’t know how we will be able to feed our families.”

CITU leader Kodam Ramana demanded that the government should take serious view of the situation and initiate measures to immediately reopen the Textile Park.Meanwhile, Textile Park Administrator and Joint Director of Handlooms and Textile, Tasneem A Jahan said that the main demands of these units, including the power bills reimbursement issue, have been sent to the government.

It may be mentioned here that the Textile Park was set up with an investment of Rs 7.73 crore in 2002-03 by the then united Andhra Pradesh government to prevent starvation deaths and to financially empower the weavers.