Sircilla Loom Owners Shut Ops Over High Power Bills, Lack of Market

Karimnagar: Textile manufacturers and power-loom owners in Rajanna Sircilla district shut down their operations on Sunday in protest against high electricity bills, poor market prices for their products, and the overall crisis affecting the industry.

Out of the 101 units in the textile park, 65 are operating in Baddenapally, Sircilla, with around 1,000 weavers employed. The shutdown of the textile park is expected to cause difficulties for weavers, especially ahead of Dasara and Diwali.

President of the Textile Park Cloth Manufacturers' Association, Annaldas Anil Kumar, told Deccan Chronicle that large quantities of unsold cloth had accumulated in storage due to the lack of a regular market. He emphasised that the government should support the struggling industry, which is being hit by steep electricity charges (`8 per unit) and high raw material costs.

"The government must introduce new schemes and reduce power rates to save the sector. It should also establish common facility centres (CFCs), issue no-objection certificates (NOCs) to textile unit owners who wish to transfer ownership, and place bulk orders," he said.

He also highlighted that the previous BRS government has delayed payments of around `270 crore for Bathukamma saris, further pushing the industry into a crisis. The Congress government has cleared `201 crore worth of pending payments to the weavers.

In an effort to provide continuous work for weavers, the government placed bulk orders for school uniforms under the Rajiv Vidya Mission and police uniforms. Additionally, the government is preparing an action plan to distribute two saris each to around 63 lakh self-help group members and to provide power subsidies.

Meanwhile, principal secretary Shailaja Ramaiyer, who visited the district, promised to address these issues at the earliest.