State Government’s proposal to develop the Sircilla textile town on the lines of Tirupur, in Tamil Nadu, has rekindled hopes among the distressed powerloom weavers of Sircilla in the new Rajanna-Sircilla district.
The textile town of Sircilla, which always hits the headlines due to crisis in the powerloom industry and suicides by the powerloom weavers in the integrated Karimnagar district, is seeing a ray of hope in the proposal to replicate the Tirupur, capital of knitwear industry in the country, model.
Faith in KTR
The residents have confidence in Sircilla MLA and Minister for Municipal Administration and IT K Taraka Rama Rao, and hope that the proposal would take root soon.
The powerloom weavers suggest that the government take up rapid modernization of the powerlooms in Sircilla town to produce value added fabric as part of implementing Tirupur model.
Sircilla town has the highest number of powerlooms in the State. It accounts for 33,000 of the total 42,000 powerlooms in entire Telangana State.
The weavers feel that the State Government in association with the Centre should replace the existing the powerlooms with the jet looms to produce value added fabric for good marketing.
Easy redressal
President of AITUC affiliated Sircilla Powerloom Workers Union Samalla Mallesham said that the new district would help the residents easier access to district officials for redressal of long pending woes.
“On Monday, we submitted a petition urging Collector Krishna Bhaskar to take measures for the increase of wages of the powerloom weavers,” he said pointing out that the powerloom owners had not increased wages of Rs 0.20 paise for weaving 10 pieces of fabric on the looms since last one year.
“It is the right time for the state government to replicate the Tirupur model in Sircilla textile town,” he said and urged the government to set up a powerloom corporation for the supply of yarn and purchase of fabric from the weavers to provide round the year employment to the weavers.
CITU trade union leader P Ravi wanted the government to take steps to ensure that the powerloom weavers work for only eight hours a day on the looms instead of existing 12 hours per day.
He hoped that the formation of new district would help the powerloom industry rid all crisis.
