Cotton mills being pushed to closure: TU leaders

THE workers of closed cotton mills here lamented that despite rise in demand of cotton globally, the government was not paying enough attention to revival of renowned cotton mills and was allowing their closure on the pretext of losses. Citing examples, trade union leaders of these mills said the cotton and woollen products of Elgin Mills (I&II), Lalimli and National Textile Corporation were famous and their demand was very high in the world market.

THE workers of closed cotton mills here lamented that despite rise in demand of cotton globally, the government was not paying enough attention to revival of renowned cotton mills and was allowing their closure on the pretext of losses.

HT Image

Citing examples, trade union leaders of these mills said the cotton and woollen products of Elgin Mills (I&II), Lalimli and National Textile Corporation were famous and their demand was very high in the world market. But due to improper management and delayed efforts for modification, the mills had been placed in the loss-making category.

State president of All India Central Council of Trade Unions Hari Singh said the new Industrial policies of the Central government were anti- labour and the ongoing closure of nationalised mills without approval from Parliament was against the Constitution. He said the council would bring together all trade unions of the state on this issue, barring the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the INTUC, since both were politically affiliated.

General secretary of NTC Staff Association Rajendra Trivedi said that NTC had been made the first scapegoat.. Out of 123 mills, about 65 had been closed all over the country, including five in Kanpur. Out of the 224.74 acre surplus land of NTC mills identified for sale to carry out revival of the sick mills in the state, the government could not sell even 10 acres in four years, he accused .

Trivedi said that all senior MPs from the state would be asked to lend support to save the industries in the state by representing their cause in Parliament. The leaders also demanded that all money from the sale of properties of mills in the state should be utilised for development of industries in the state.