Thanjavur: Peravurani coir units shut even 5 months after Gaja cyclone

Thanjavur: Coir and Coir product Industries Owners Association of Peravurani in Thanjavur district has appealed to the Tamil Nadu Government to provide relief to coir units affected due to ‘Gaja’ cyclone that devastated parts of Thanjavur district on November 16 last year.

In a memorandum submitted to Thanjavur district collector A. Annadurai, president of the association Agri G. Govindaraj, Venkatesan, secretary and K.Abdul Mutalieef, treasurer, said that 86 coir units in the area remain closed for the past five months.

Thousands of employees working in these units have lost their jobs. Export of coir and coir products like pith bricks to countries like China, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and USA have been affected which resulted in loss of foreign exchange.

The units have been started investing money to the tune of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore depending upon the production. Association members submitted memorandum to District Industries Centre (DIC) following which officials visited the area and made a survey. But nothing tangible had come out so far, even five months after the cyclone, they rued.

The association demanded relief to the units, employees, providing interest free loans to rehabilitate the destroyed units by cyclone, and waiver of loans borrowed earlier, among others.