The manufacturers of readymade garments, hosiery items and made-ups in Tirupur cluster, affiliated to South India Hosiery Manufacturers Association (SIHMA) and 13 other-allied associations, will stop production on Monday and Tuesday.
This is in support to the nation-wide stir called by the Federation of Hosiery Manufacturers Association (FOHMA) in protest against the mandatory levy of 10 percent excise duty imposed on textile products meant for supply within the country, announced in the recent Union Budget.
Already, the hosiery manufacturers and dealers from the clusters of Tirupur, Indore, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ludhiana, and Kanpur had observed a token bandh on the same issue on March 4.
SIHMA president A.C. Eswaran told The Hindu here that the imposition of mandatory excise duty was an unjustified fiscal move since the industry was going through a turmoil caused by the abnormal rise in cotton and yarn prices.
“We are now forced to agitate again since all our representations to the Union Government did not receive any positive result,” he said.
The present levy of excise duty at the rate of 10 per cent on ready-made garments and made-up articles of textiles would trigger an increase in its prices.
More agitations
SIHMA sources pointed out that the manufacturers would be left with no choice but to go for an indefinite strike if the government was not willing to consider the demand.
