Tirupur exporters seek funds for marine discharge project

Coimbatore: The Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) has urged the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, to advise the finance department to allocate funds for executing the proposed marine discharge project to handle the effluents from the textile industries’ clusters in the State.

TEA also sought the chief minister’s support in securing 50 per cent of the Rs 816-crore marine discharge project cost from the Centre.

Presenting a memorandum to Mr Karunanidhi who visited Tirupur to formally inaugurate the upgradation of Tirupur as a municipal corporation, the TEA President, Mr A. Sakthivel, said Tamilnadu Water Investment Company Ltd (TWICL), assigned the task of preparing a detailed project report for the marine discharge project, has sought clarification on meeting the cost of disposal through tariff and also the availability of funds either from the state government or the special purpose company Textile Eco Solution Tamilnadu Ltd towards meeting the cost of consultancy. The TWICL, as per preliminary survey, has put the cost of the marine discharge project at Rs 816.20 crore and annual operation and maintenance charges at Rs 23.09 crore. The pipeline to carry the effluents for marine discharge under the project is to be laid from Tirupur (right bank of Noyyal river) via Karur (Vaiyampatty-Oonaiyur (right bank of Vellar river) till it is joined at Palk Bay. The land-fall point, the location of shoreline, for disposal into the sea will be Munpalai village in Manamelkudi Taluk of Pudukottai district.

Houses for workers

The TEA representation also sought the State Government’s support to address the shortage of dwellings for hosiery workers in Tirupur as most of these workers come from the southern districts.

It urged the Government to allot land for building budget houses for the workers for which the industry could contribute its share under the private-public partnership.


District status

The association has received the Chief Minister’s assurance to create Tirupur district.

Establishment of district-level administrative and police machinery exclusively for Tirupur would lead to creation of good infrastructure that would accord a thrust to the apparel industry, Mr Sakthivel said on Sunday.

The export worth of the apparel industry in Tirupur that employs a workforce of four lakhs is Rs. 11,500 crores per annum.