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Rain sinks Bhiwandi powerlooms

Meena Menon

Calamity cripples major industry; losses estimated at Rs. 600 crores

HELPLESS: People of the Gafoor Basti in Bhivandi at a relief camp. — Photo: Vivek Bendre

BHIWANDI: The dull grey buildings on the shores of the Kumwari river hide the tragedy which has crippled this powerloom town. The silence of the looms, which clacked incessantly, tells its own story.

Last week's floods, which brought most of Bhiwandi under 20 feet of water, submerged powerloom sheds too. Some were under six feet of water for two days.

Bhiwandi houses one-third of the powerloom industry in the country and its people are trying to deal with a calamity that has brought a major industry to its knees.

On the banks of the river at Rasoolabad Khadipar in Khoni village, the dark powerloom sheds have a few workers trying to put things in order. The ground is wet and the yarn and cloth are sodden. Mohammed Rafique, a worker, said there was nothing to do for eight days.

The weavers are the worst affected with no payment. Brahm Deb, a young boy from Bihar who has been working here for over a year, says he has not received his daily wage of Rs. 80 for a week.

Stuck without help

The owner of this company, Nafiz Fareed, who employs 25 men, says people were stuck for three days without help. The daily production losses, he says, are Rs 12,000-15,000 and overall he has lost Rs 12 lakhs to 18 lakhs.

It will take another 10 days to restore normality, as the looms were totally submerged. He has 56 looms and for repairing them he will need at least Rs 5,000 each.

In a nearby shed, Mohammed Rehman and others are trying to revive expensive jacquard looms. "The looms cost Rs. 1 lakh each and it will be a task to revive them," said Rehman. He and 14 other workers have not been paid for over a week. "How can we expect payment when there is no work? It will take another 15 days to restart the looms and we may need Rs. 5 lakhs to repair them."

All 68 powerlooms are damaged in Dipak Shah's sheds. "I have lost Rs 15 to 20 lakhs," he said. He has no insurance cover, as the sheds are located on riverbank. However, in 2002 when this place was flooded, he was able to claim insurance. Shah will need Rs 15,000 to repair each loom. "We can't bear these losses on our own and it will be very difficult to revive our industry."

Shah's workers are checking the weaving machines and sorting out yarn. Three tonnes of water-ruined polyester yarn lies in one corner. "I will have to sell this sodden yarn for Rs 20 to 30 a kg as against the usual price of Rs 100 a kg," he said. Faizan Ahmed Azmi, president of the Maharashtra Powerloom Federation, said that of the six lakh powerlooms here, 2,00,000-2,50,000 were badly affected along with materials, yarn and stored goods. He estimated the losses at Rs 600 crores. "Many of the powerlooms were under 8-9 feet of water and damaged."

Loss of jobs

The entire town of Bhiwandi grew around this single industry. There were seven lakh 7 to 8 lakh workers engaged in cloth production and many of them have lost their jobs.

The town was cut off for the best part of last week. Apart from powerlooms, small businesses have been severely affected. The country's largest warehouses on the outskirts of Bhiwandi have been damaged too, rendering goods worth crores useless.

Mr. Baliram Choudhary, CITU State council member, says labourers here, mostly unorganised, are the worst sufferers.

Across the river, the shanties in which many of the powerloom workers live at Ghafoor Basti are ruined.

For the past week, about 400 residents have taken shelter in a school in the nearby Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority colony.

Sahani Khatun says all their houses were washed away last Tuesday and over a 100 huts destroyed in rain. "Yesterday, the government came to give us kerosene but asked for our ration cards. We don't even own a plate," she says.

Adisa Khatun says many children were ill. Not a surprise under the unhygienic conditions in the camp. Down the road on the riverbank, some people of Ghafoor Basti have put together makeshift rooms using tin sheets. Munawar Ali says no help was forthcoming from any government official and they were literally stranded.

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