The Hindu Business Line : Tirupur dyers suspend operations en masse

THE dyeing and printing houses in Tirupur, caught in a severe environmental tangle, have suspended en masse their production activity from today in view of the tough stand taken against them by the Madras High Court's green bench on Wednesday.

The total work stoppage by the dyers, decided at an emergency meeting of the Dyers Association of Tirupur (DAT) on Wednesday, will be observed till April 26 when the green bench is expected to resume hearing of the public interest litigation involving Tirupur dyers.

"The suspension of operation by our members is only in deference to the High Court's sentiments expressed during yesterday's hearing regarding the letting of the effluents into the river and it can't be construed as any agitation or protest strike," said the DAT President Chairman, Mr N. Kandasamy. The entire dyeing and printing units have joined in the `work stoppage' which, according to him, would be reviewed after the next green bench's hearing scheduled for April 26.

The voluntary stoppage of operation has come in the wake of what the industry representatives say strictures passed by the two judges in the bench who were reported to have castigated the Tirupur dyers for their unrelenting release of effluents into the Noyyal river disregarding the court's earlier rulings and not meeting the pollution norms.

The judges were also said to have expressed their displeasure at the district administration and the State pollution control board (PCB) officials for not enforcing the court rulings as well as pollution norms with regard to dyeing industries.

DAT's decision is also aimed at placating the sentiments of the Tirupur dyeing industry which is said to have been agitated over the PCB's recent action of ordering closure of some of the dyeing units for non-adherence of the environmental norms in discharge of effluents into the Noyyal.

The PCB, which ordered closure of 22 dyeing units on April 9 last, followed it up by slapping closure order on another 12 units three days ago. This has set off a crisis in the Tirupur-based knitwear industry, especially those involved in exports which are worried that any dislocation in their production schedule in the fabric processing would cause a cascading effect in their shipment delivery schedule.

The latest Green bench sitting was hearing cases involving the public interest litigation raised by Noyyal River Ayacutdars Protection Association, a forum of the farmers from the neighbouring Erode district and the association has been pleading the court to restrain the Tirupur dyers from discharging their effluents into the Noyyal river.

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