RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: The worst fears of weavers employed at various units of Sircilla Textile Park have come true on Sunday. As hinted earlier, the owners of these units, faced with heavy financial crunch, shut shop. Ironically, the decision to close down their units came on a day when the workers should be celebrating International Workers’ Day, leaving around 1,500 employees to their fate.
Of the 117-odd units, around 50 units were closed earlier and the remaining were shut on Sunday. With closure of all the units, which at least for now looks indefinite, the Sircilla Textile Park wore a deserted look with the desolate employees unsure where their next meal would come 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 that of 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. CITU leader Kodam Ramana demanded that the government to take a serious view of the situation. The Textile Park was set up with an investment of Rs 7.73 core in 2002-03 by the then united Andhra Pradesh government to prevent starvation deaths and empower the weavers.