Powerloom sector wages, EB tariff major poll issues in Sulur segment

“Powerloom units, once the pride of Sulur near Coimbatore, may go silent permanently in the near future if the looming crisis over wage issues were not addressed.  The plea for increasing the wages have for long been ignored irrespective of the party in power,” said P Kumarasamy, secretary of Somanur Job Working Powerloom Unit Owners Association. 

There are over one lakh powerloom units providing job opportunities to one lakh workers directly and to over two lakh workers indirectly. After a long struggle, the wages for powerloom workers were last revised upward by 30 per cent in the year 2014 in the presence of Collector and officials from the Labour department. 

“Till now, the revised wages have not been implemented despite several protests by powerloom unit workers. The government should intervene and ensure that revised wages are given, though it is long overdue for another revision,” he added.

Also high cost incurred in electricity bills is also making powerloom units to run into losses. “To reduce electricity costs, the state government should come forward to offer subsidies to powerloom units to generate solar power. A trade centre should be set up and a Powerloom Development Corporation created to liasion between the government and powerloom sector to address issues concerning this industrial sector,” Kumarasamy said. 

With the elected representatives continuously ignoring the demands, the growth of the powerloom sector has alreadybecome stagnant.

Another major issue is water woes. Farmers faulted the alternative DMK and AIADMK governments for failing to desilt ‘Achankulam,’ which may help improve ground water level in 20 odd villages in Sultanpet Union. 

They rued lack of adequate water to carry on with farming activities. “The Anamalaiyaru-Nallaru river linking scheme should be implemented at the earliest,” said S Murugan, a farmer from Sulur.  

The sudden demise of AIADMK MLA R Kanagaraj on March 21 has necessitated a by-election to the Sulur Assembly constituency. He won in 2016 by securing 1,00,977 votes.

For this bypoll, Kanagaraj’s cousin VP Kandasamy, who is also the president of Coimbatore rural district Amma Peravai is contesting on a AIADMK ticket.  

Pitted against him is the old war horse and former DMK Minister Pongalur N Palanisamy, AMMK’s K Sugumar (former AIADMK MP), MNM’s G Mayilswamy and Naam Tamilar Katchi’s MV Vijayaraghavan. Besides, 17 other independents are also in the fray.