A large number of industries in Coimbatore region stopped production on Thursday to protest against power cut.
Thousands of employers and workers also took out a rally and organised a meeting in Coimbatore demanding equal distribution of power shortage across the State.
“Over 20,000 units downed shutters in Coimbatore district and suffered nearly Rs.200 crore production loss,” said M. Kandhaswami, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association.
Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, president, M. Krishnan, flagged off the five-km rally here. As many as 28 industrial associations in the district jointly organised the protest. Participants in the rally included those from engineering units, textile mills, foundries, micro units, trade bodies, and pumpset units.
The industry representatives also submitted a memorandum to the District Collector P. Umanath and the Chief Engineer of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, Coimbatore, A. Thangavelu.
“The protest is to tell the government how much the industries here are hit by the power cut. The new government should give priority to the power issue. The current situation of power shortage should not continue for long,” Mr. Kandhaswami said.
Salem
Several industries in Salem participated in the strike on Thursday. According to the Salem District Small Scale and Tiny Industries' Association, the small and medium scale units were suffering load shedding for the last three years and it affected industries in all sectors.
Hosur
In Hosur, over 1,500 units participated in the strike. Members of the Hosur Small and Tiny Industries' Association staged a demonstration.
Erode
According to the president of the Erode District Small Industries' Association R. Subramanian, several small-scale industries in Erode District were on the verge of closure because of the power crisis. Apart from the loss in productivity, the units incurred huge loss because of wastage in raw materials. Several powerloom units in the district participated in the strike.
Tirupur
In Tirupur, associations such South India Hosiery Manufacturers' Association and Tirupur Exporters And Manufacturers Association had said that new power projects should be commissioned at the earliest to tide over the power crisis.
