Tirupur’s wish list: more power, better roads

Knitwear hub Tirupur is relatively a new parliamentary constituency. It is set to witness its second electoral battle this time.

This constituency in western Tamil Nadu could well turn out to be a difficult turf for all the key party contestants.

The candidates include S Sathyabama (AIADMK), Subbarayan (CPI-M), EVKS Elangovan (Congress), Senthilnathan (DMK) and N Dinesh Kumar (DMDK).

While the AIADMK comfortably won the seat in the previous general election, it does face a tough task in this year’s five-cornered battle.

The constituency comprises six assembly segments — Tirupur North, Tirupur South, Gobichettipalayam, Anthiyur, Bhavani and Perundurai. The last three are predominantly agricultural areas, while Tirupur is an industrial hub.

Here, the problems confronting the knitwear and farming sectors are plenty. As it stands, there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm amongst voters in choosing their next MP. Issues like indiscriminate tapping of groundwater for industrial purposes, continuing discharge of industrial effluents into water bodies, power cuts, acute shortage of housing, rising accommodation costs and badly maintained roads seem to bother the inhabitants of this town.

Tall electoral promises followed by total negligence are the norm. Take for instance the Athikadavu-Avinashi Flood Flow Canal Scheme.

It has not moved an inch, said a distressed farmer. And people are worried that the town will once again face acute water shortage this season.

No long term plan has been made to tackle some of the perennial issues, the farmer said.

But the industrialists take pride in stating the town is what it is today because of their entrepreneurial zeal. This knitwear cluster is a major foreign exchange earner for the country, accounting for an annual turnover of around ₹15,000 crore.

On the infrastructure front, the business fraternity has been seeking better road connectivity to Tuticorin port and ring roads around this small export hub to avoid traffic congestion. Nearly 85 per cent of shipments is routed via Tuticorin, said A Sakthivel, President of Tirupur Exporters' Association.

The association has been emphasising the need for a Mother Vessel calling at this port. “This would help save 4-5 days transit time,” Sakthivel said.

Export orders are said to be picking up and the units engaged in garment exports are keen to capitalise on it. But paucity of skilled labour of nearly 10-15 per cent seems to stand in the way of their progress.

“The market is picking up now. To tackle power outages, we have proposed to go in for a 3MW solar power plant. It is expected to be commissioned within the next eight months,”said Subramaniam, CEO of Nethaji Apparel Park, which has 54 firms engaged in the manufacture of knitwear for exports.

According to Subramaniam, the knitwear cluster needs a township for workers at this juncture. “The Government, particularly at the Centre, has been supportive. We only hope that the next elected member of parliament from this constituency takes this town to greater heights,” he said.

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