All handloom and khadi units in the district hit by the mid-August floods are expected to be fully functional by December 15, said District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla here. He said that rehabilitation and repair works in Chennamangalam handloom units were in full swing.
He was speaking at the meeting of the Monitoring Unit set up to oversee the rehabilitation of the handloom and hhadi units in the district on Thursday. V.D. Satheesan, MLA, was among those who participated in the meeting.
There are 13 primary handloom cooperatives with Chennamangalam Yarn Bank as the apex society in the district. The handloom and khadi sector sustained losses to the tune of ₹2.48 crore. A total of 255 loom sustained losses. Among them, 143 are functioning now. In Chennamangalam, 99 looms in 47 units were damaged in the floods. .
According to a pressnote, the units that sustained most losses include the Karimpadam society; Paravur society No. 3428; Paravur Town, Kuriappally, Cherai, Pallippuram, and Kuzhuppilly.
A common facility centre will be established at Chennamangalam to help out all the handloom and khadi units in the district. The first steps have been taken for the facility centre. Cochin Shipyard Limited, Petronet LNG Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation will help with their Corporate Responsibility Fund. A yarn bank, dyeing unit and drying block will be part of the facility centre.
The meeting also discussed the building of a road to the proposed common facility centre, the pressnote said.
Mr. Satheesan has issued instruction to the officials to hold talks with those who are willing to give up land for the proposed road.
162 spinning wheels at the Nanthyattukunnam Gandhi Smaraka Seva Kendra were damaged in the floods. Fifty-four looms were also damaged by the waters. Forty-eight looms and 28 ‘charkas’ in units under the Khadi and Village Industries Board were also damaged during the floods.
The reluctance of insurance companies to provide compensation to the khadi and handloom units was pointed out during the course of the meeting. Sub-collector Snehil Kumar Singh; District Industries Centre manager Biju P. Abraham were among those who attended the meeting.
