The Hindu Business Line : Apparel park woes: Exporters hopeful of early solution

Chennai, Sept. 12 The apparels and handloom exporters, who were allotted land to set up production units in Irungattukottai, now hope that the impasse in setting up “a proper apparel park” will end soon.

“The meeting between the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Sipcot) and the Apparels and Handloom Exporters Association, convened by the former recently, “ended on a positive note,” said Ms K. Reshma Rao, Honorary General Secretary of the association.

However, she said it is incorrect on the part of Sipcot to say that some of the apparel exporters have purchased the land for real estate purpose and are not willing to set up their units.

“When Sipcot is yet to deliver its promises of putting in place all necessary infrastructure, it is not possible for us to set up units there; and none of us has bought the land for real estate,” she said.

While formulating the apparel park, it was said that the Central and the State Governments would invest Rs 10 crore each in the facility, and the Centre would invest another Rs 6 crore for creating the necessary infrastructure. Though the promised facilities include design and training centre, common effluent treatment plant, container truck terminal and exhibition hall, “except roads, electricity and water, nothing has come up”, she says.

Earlier, Sipcot argued that when five (H & B, Keenwin Apparels, Doucer Fashion, Imperial and Celebrity Fashions) of the 38 are already up and running successfully, what prevents others from following them.

Mr Selwin E. Prabakar, CEO of Frendi Fashions Pvt Ltd, one of the land allottees, says that the five units working there are “facing enormous problems”. He says these companies spend Rs 1,400 a month on each of their workers for transportation and food.

“Once all of us move in, we may require close to 30,000 workers. Since there is already a dearth of skilled manpower for the industry, we need to take in people and impart at least some primary training to them before they get inducted, we need a common training centre there in the first place.”

Common effluent treatment plant and proper communication facilities are also equally important, says Mr Prabakar. Sipcot officials earlier said that for these special facilities, tenders were called for twice but they did not elicit any reasonable quotation.

However, “they now agreed to call for tenders again and promised to help us out,” says Ms Rao.

More Stories on : Readymade Garments | Handloom | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page