BALLARI: When the production is high ahead of the coming festive season, the KSPCB has ordered 36 jeans washing units in Ballari to shut shop for discharging untreated wastewater directly into the drainage.
The move by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has triggered panic in the sector that employs over 10,000 workers directly and indirectly and comes just ahead of the Christmas, Pongal and New Year business season. Though 36 units are shut, notices have been issued to 63.
Unit owners are disappointed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s promise in the run-up to Karnataka Assembly elections that the industry would be supported has not been honoured. They said the closure orders have added to the distress of an already struggling sector. They urged the state government to intervene immediately, negotiate with KSPCB and give extra time to comply with the norms. They appealed for temporary permission to resume their operations to avoid further loss.
Pollux Mallikarjun, a jeans unit owner, said Ballari has over 500 readymade garment units that produce more than 50,000 jeans daily and that doubles during festivals. The industry once employed over a lakh people, but it has been struggling in recent years because of the rising cost of production, water shortage, power issues and labour constraints. The washing units, crucial for finishing denim products, form a critical part of the supply chain. Their closure could bring the entire industry to a standstill during its busiest period, they warned.
“Before Covid, the Mundargi Industrial Area on the outskirts of Ballari had 83 washing units. Over the years, multiple crises forced many to shut, reducing the number to 50. Now, with the 36 units sealed, industry representatives fear the damage would be irreversible.
The units depend heavily on borewell and tanker water. Despite repeated appeals, the government has not allocated a proper site for safe discharge of effluents or set up common treatment facilities,” he added.
Dr Siddeshwara Babu, District Environmental Officer, confirmed that closure notices were issued following directions from Deputy Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa, who inspected the Mundargi industrial cluster in January and raised concerns over untreated wastewater being released into drains. Based on Upa Lokayukta’s instructions, notices were issued to 36 washing units asking them to stop operations.
Another unit owner pointed out that during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi had announced a Rs 5,000-crore Jeans Textile Apparel Park in Ballari, intended to provide modern infrastructure to the industry. Though land was identified, the project has seen no progress, adding to the frustration of stakeholders who hoped it would resolve long-standing issues like water treatment and waste disposal.
With the peak business season approaching and thousands of workers rendered jobless overnight, the Ballari jeans industry is at the crossroads. Unit owners fear that without swift government intervention, particularly in establishing effluent treatment facilities and expediting the Apparel Park project, the once-thriving hub may face a long-term decline. It will damage Ballari’s identity as India’s denim capital, they said.