As instructed by Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan, the Puducherry administration has resumed its collaboration with the South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) to investigate the potential for revitalising the textile sector in the Union Territory.
The administration formally requested that SITRA, Coimbatore, look into the possibility of reviving the two mills, at least in “a non-composite format,” and two members of the organisation visited the now-defunct Swadeshee-Bharathee Textile Mills Limited and Anglo-French Textiles a few weeks ago.
“The Lieutenant Governor suggested that the officials look into the possibilities of resurrecting the textile sector after visiting the mills in September. To take a new look at restarting the mills, we then got in touch with SITRA. The crew visited the mills and spoke with officials two weeks ago in response to our request,” said Chief Secretary Sharat Chauhan. The delegation is anticipated to return to Puducherry and provide a report within a month.
The Chief Secretary stated that the Lieutenant Governor desired the prudent use of the prime property where the mills were located in order to create jobs and generate income.
According to a Government official, SITRA’s 2012 assessment recommended against operating the mills in their then-current format. The mills’ operations have been reduced by succeeding administrations since then, and in 2020 they were shut down entirely. This led to a confrontation between the Congress government and then-Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi.
Reviving the mills has been demanded since it was closed. Mr. Kailashnathan requested that before using the site for other purposes, the authorities take a new look at the proposal for textile recovery. The Lt. Governor, it was gathered, believed that the government should seriously consider establishing a non-composite textile sector, meaning a company that processes textiles in some way.
Since Puducherry’s mills were historically composite, the Lt. Governor believed that composite textile mills were becoming uncommon. According to an official, he therefore wanted the government to investigate the possibility of creating jobs by establishing a non-composite textile unit.
