Bandi Urges CM to Support Sircilla Weavers

He detailed the crisis the Sircilla textile industry has been for the past four months, and said it has has led to unemployment and financial difficulties for both industry workers and owners. Despite the hardships faced by 20,000 workers from the power loom and related sectors, who have been accruing debt to support their families, the government is yet to clear the pending Rs 270 crore bill, Bandi Sanjay said.

For the last 27 days, workers have been on strike, demanding action, yet the government has not responded, he said. The Karimnagar MP also criticised the previous BRS government's Bathukamma Sarees scheme for limiting weavers to a single product and not settling payments, even for those sarees. He noted that the abrupt cessation of a 24-year practice of subsidising power loom factories' electricity bills by 50% has placed a financial strain on power-loom factory owners. Bandi Sanjay further called on the government for a waiver of outstanding electricity bills and the reinstatement of the subsidy. He also demanded the implementation of the Worker to Owner scheme, a 10% yarn subsidy for weavers, and governmental intervention to end the Sircilla weavers' strike by meeting their demands