BALLARI : The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s (KSPCB) move to shut down 36 jeans washing units in Ballari has snowballed into a political confrontation, with Congress and BJP leaders engaging in heated exchanges over its impacts on thousands of workers as well as the owners of the firms.
The development comes a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a meeting with Ballari MP, local MLAs and district officials, assured to solve the issue and reopen all 36 jeans washing units which had been sealed two weeks ago.
The secretary of the jeans washing units association said the CM has approved Rs 22 crore to set up a common effluent treatment plant, which the association will operate and maintain. Ballari City MLA Nara Bharath Reddy accused the BJP of spreading misinformation and insisted that the Congress government is committed to strengthening the district’s textile ecosystem.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition at the Lok Sabha, has promised to make Ballari as the jeans capital of India. He will inaugurate the Jeans Textile Park in Ballari in the last quarter of this fiscal, and Ballari will get all infrastructure it deserves, said Congress leader Bharath Reddy, adding that the closures were ordered solely on environmental grounds.
Former BJP MLA Gali Somashekara Reddy, however, blamed the crisis on what he described as the Congress government’s failure to support the denim-washing sector. “Because of Congress negligence, the industry is collapsing. Rahul Gandhi talks about making Ballari the jeans capital, but his actions tell a different story,” he said.
Meanwhile, several jeans washing unit owners expressed concern that despite both the Congress and the BJP repeatedly promising infrastructure and policy support, the goal of transforming Ballari into the jeans capital of India is yet to become a reality.
Bharth Reddy said the groundbreaking ceremony for the long-awaited Jeans Park will take place in between January and March 2026. The region will soon house a Waste management unit, which will be one of the most advanced in the country. Plot allotment for entrepreneurs will be taken up in coordination with former minister Nagendra, he said.
Reddy also said the jeans washing units in the industrial area, which are already equipped with waste-management systems, have been granted permission to resume operations.
The former MLA flayed the Congress government, saying that the closure of the jeans washing units, which have supported thousands of families for decades, was not justifiable.
“It has been more than two and a half years since the government announced its plan. Even the land acquired for the purpose is being sold at exorbitant prices. Of the 600 units that were once operating, only around 300 have survived. Many such units have moved to Ahmedabad because of adverse situations,” he said, while stressing that the entrepreneurs must also comply with environmental norms to avoid such regulatory action in future.
Officials of the jeans washing units said the KSPCB’s action on November 6 led to immediate shutdowns and disconnection of power supply to the plants. After the MLA was informed, a meeting was held with the Chief Minister.