The Hindu : Other States / Pondicherry News : Labour union welcomes takeover of mills

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Sunday, Apr 03, 2005

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Labour union welcomes takeover of mills

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, APRIL 2. The Pondicherry Textile Mills Labour Union has welcomed the takeover of the Bharathi Mills and the Swedish Cotton Mills by Pondicherry Textiles Corporation (PTC).

In a release today the president of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Labour Union, R. Vadivelu, said that when Bharathi mills and Swadeshi Cotton mills were about to be closed along with other mills of the National Textiles Corporation (NTC), the Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, the Pondicherry administration, workers unions, Member of Parliament M. Ramadass and others concerned with the survival of the two mills made sustained efforts to ensure that the two mills were brought under PTC control.

Relief for workers

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the NTC and PTC, transferring the ownership of the two prestigious mills to PTC, on April 1 has been a relief for the workers and staff.

Bharathi Mills was popularly known as "Geblet" mill here and was taken over by the Centre in the 1970s and was since run by the NTC.

The Swadeshi Cotton mills, popularly known as Savana mills (after the French industrialist who started it ), was taken over in April 1978 by the Union Textiles Ministry. These mills are prestigious undertakings in Pondicherry.

The Pondicherry Administration first floated the PTC in 1984. Now, it had become a gigantic organisation with three important mills under its control.

The staff, workers and policy makers here hope that the three mills would be modernised, job opportunities expanded and the revenue increased. It would also boost the economy of Pondicherry, they hope.

The Handloom and textile sectors had always been important in Pondicherry.

All three mills are situated on Modeliarpet Road.

Several families, whose members are mill workers, have a close affinity with the mills.

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