On January 28, 2011, when the Madras High Court ordered the closure of 754 dyeing and bleaching units in Tiruppur, along with Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP), for not having followed zero liquid discharge (ZLD) norms, it sounded a virtual death knell for the industry.
But given that Tiruppur provides employment to over five lakh people and accounts for 22% of the country’s total garment exports, the response to the judicial intervention was prompt and positive.
“This episode has demonstrated how resilient we are,” says Raja M. Shanmugam, president, Tiruppur Exporters’ Association.
The State and Central governments too came forward to provide succour. A grant of ₹300 crore (Centre’s share: ₹187.5 crore and ₹112.5 crore from the State) was sanctioned. The State also gave ₹203.29 crore in interest-free loans (IFL) for purchase of machinery for ZLD plants.
In December 2016, the Union government approved a further IFL of ₹200 crore to help the industry recover from financial stress on account of investing in ZLD plants.
“Apart from the assistance of the State and Central governments, the industry has invested around ₹470 crore in projects,” says S. Nagarajan, president, Dyers Association of Tiruppur.
But the largesse is limited to Tiruppur. In neighbouring Erode, dyeing units of the Perundurai SIPCOT Textile Processors Association have not been lucky. In addition to a CETP, there are some individual ETPs, all following ZLD norms. “However, what we want now is advice from the TNPCB on how to dispose residual salt. At present, we are storing it in a secure environment. But, we are keen on disposing it at the earliest,” says S. Selvaraj, joint secretary of the association.
The authorities should extend monetary support to leather units in Vellore district too, says Iqbal Ahmed, managing director of VANITEC, adding that the support will help reduce the cost of setting up ZLD plants.
