Non release of funds put construction activities for textile park at halt

Only some land-levelling activities of the proposed textile park under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP), like the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of the compound wall and drainage construction has been carried out while all other construction activities have come to a halt due to the Handloom and Textile Department officials allegedly not releasing the share of the State government funds.

Managing director of Gulbarga Textile Park, Subash Kamalapure, on Friday said that delay on the part of the Handloom and Textile Department officials to release the State government’s share of Rs. 2.5 crore released more than three years back was the main reason for stopping all construction work.

The total cost of the project was Rs. 49 crore and Rs. 1.50 crore was the share of the Union government. The non-release of funds has also thwarted the Gulbarga Textile Park from getting the second installment of the cost of the project from the Union government.

The textile park, which had attracted attention of major garment manufacturers like Raymonds, Levis and others, besides having common facilities like effluent treatment plant, washing facility, creches for children of women workers and rest rooms, it would have worksheds with different sizes to accommodate different machineries used in the garment manufacturing.

The textile park also planned to produce the gloves and masks used in industries and hospitals and sanitary napkins and diapers in a largescale.

Mr. Kamalapure said that the government had earlier imposed one condition that the project should get final clearance of the Union Ministry of Textiles which they have already obtained the final clearance three years back and fulfilled the condition for the textile park.

According to Mr. Kamalapure, the officials of the Handloom and Textile Department have added new condition that the promotors — Gulbarga Textile Park — should invest their equity amount of Rs. 1 crore in the park.