Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (Maditssia) will stage a protest in the city on Monday to draw the attention of the Government to the deteriorating situation on the industrial front in respect of small-scale industries and demand uniform power supply across the State. The protest will be held at Maditassia Hall from 10 a.m to 1 p.m, along with other industry associations.

V.S. Manimaran President of the association, in a statement here, said that frequent power cuts have been hitting hard industrial production of small-scale industries severely. At a meeting of trade and industry bodies held in the city on October 8, it was decided to go ahead with a protest against the power cuts to draw the attention of the Government to the prevailing situation. Besides pressing for Kudankulam nuclear power project, the associations have also demanded the expeditious commissioning of various power projects being built in the State.

Equal treatment

The Madurai Spinners Association has urged the State Government to treat all consumers equally without showing any preference, as for those living in Chennai. V.S. Sivaprasad, Association President, in a statement here, said that many of its members have been facing the threat of becoming sick and being declared as ‘non-performing assets’. Power cuts have reduced working time but units have to pay wages for all the three shifts to retain workers, he added.

Garment units in disarray

Frequent power cuts have affected garment units at Puthiyamputhur and Ottapidaram block in Tuticorin district using power-based machines for tailoring works. More than 15,000 families are involved in the industry. According to T. Manohar, President, Readymade Garment Traders Association, Puthiyamputhur, during last Deepavali season, garment industry in the region, fetched an income of more than Rs 10 lakh but this year production could not be executed even for a market value of Rs 5 lakh.

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