The latest decision of the high-level committee constituted under Union Textiles Secretary to evolve methods to put an end to the losses being suffered by Tirupur entrepreneurs due to closure of dyeing units as well as to revive the closed units, has come under the criticism of farming community.
New measures
The committee, headed by Union Textiles Secretary and representatives of Tirupur Exporters Association and Dyers Association, which was formed to address the environmental and financial related problems of the cluster, is now scheduled to meet on August 24 to come out with the proposed new measures.
The nomenclature of the committee itself had evoked the wrath of the farming community already as it comprised members of the same dyeing fraternity who had been the accused in the case filed by farmers on the pollution in River Noyyal which eventually led to the closure of dyeing units, and had no farmer representatives in it.
Petition
In a petition to the Union Textiles Secretary on Thursday, P. Sankarnarayan, an activist hailing from farming community, reminded the Textile Secretary that dyeing units were closed by Madras High Court for not complying with zero liquid discharge norms and hence, no decision could be taken by the committee to directly revive its operations.
Pathetic
“It is also very pathetic to know that the committee wanted to put an end to the losses of those accused units instead of thinking a minute for the lakhs of farmers whose livelihood was affected by the indiscriminate discharge of dyeing effluents into River Noyyal,” he added.
Vanchipalayam K. Durai, a farmer and president of Tirupur Groundwater Protection Committee, said the statistics projected by Tirupur Exporters Association, as reported in media, that closure of dyeing units had led to a loss of Rs 1,000 crore per quarter in exports is a false figure.
P. Sankarnarayan, in the representation, had stated that the farmers would move the court if the Committee goes ahead with their planned study to evaluate the financial help required to upgrade the Common Effluent Treatment Plants and the subsequent recommendation to the government, as the Supreme Court had already said in the verdict against the dyers that “polluters to pay”.
