Tamil Nadu   

From a tiny village to a Corporation

Photo: M. Balaji

Knitwear hub: Even before getting the official tag, the town has been fondly called ‘Knit City’. —

Tirupur: It has been a long journey for the self-made town of Tirupur. The knitwear capital of the country is all set to become the seventh Municipal Corporation of Tamil Nadu. Though the town has a reputation of producing high fashion knitted garments to cater to the international market, it had been lagging behind in terms of infrastructure. The town, which had an export of Rs.15 crore in 1985, now exports garments over Rs.11,000 crore a year.

The city will have around 170 sq. km area under its jurisdiction soon. A tiny village, Tirupur, was elevated as Grade III municipality on December 1, 1917, by merging Karuvampalayam in the east, Thennampalayam in the south and Valipalayam in the north. Rao Sahib Sri Vittal Dass Anandhji was the first chairman of the municipality. The local body had only 16 councillors then.

It was in 1934 the local body was upgraded into a Grade II municipality, and then in 1967 it attained the status of Grade I municipality. With the rapid growth it became a special grade municipality in 1972. Since 1983, it has been functioning as a special grade municipality. Tirupur has a high floating population. Over 2 lakh workers from surrounding areas visit the town daily for work and trade. Tirupur also has the distinction of having the first ever Public Private Partnership project- the Rs.1,023-crore water supply scheme which was executed a couple of years ago. The scheme largely caters to the needs of dyeing and bleaching factories of the knitwear hub.

For the export community that is facing difficulty following the rupee appreciation, the elevation of their home town as Corporation has brought cheer and solace.

Even before getting the official tag, the town has been fondly called ‘Knit City or Dollar City’ by the industry.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

“Ensure equal rights for daughters”
Former hosiery worker to become first Mayor
Underground drainage work to kick off soon in Tiruvannamalai
Safety measures
Two killed
Karur’s credit potential assessed
Minister to distribute land
AIADMK demonstration
Jewellery stolen
Motorcycle stolen
Applications invited from SHG federations under MFDEF
Land identified for mango export zone at Alapatti
Medical camp
Comprehensive policy to support children afflicted with HIV/AIDS
Fight against injustice, farmers told
Expectations high among Tirupur residents
From a tiny village to a Corporation
Chance to appeal against rejection of U.K. visa
Desalination plant project report soon
Plea to check price rise
Maoists issue: probe on
UCO Bank’s unique scheme inaugurated
Farmers demand higher price for paddy
Bankers’ review committee meeting held
‘Maarghazhi mela’ gets under way
Salangai Puja
Mettur level
Helpline on trains
Cyclist killed
Health camp
Suicide bid
Eye camp
Rise in crime profile, a cause for concern
Police gear up to handle New Year revelry
Alandur to go for cement roads
Man falls from running bus, dies
Low-cost houses for hosiery workers, the need of the hour
MP demands holistic plan
Land for weavers under study
Minister reviews schemes
Farmers to stage novel protest
PM urged to keep off Sri Lankan I-Day function
Fishermen to get low-cost emergency alert system
Citizens will have to be a part and parcel of safer India: Kiran Bedi
Four of a family die as car rams into truck
Former naxalite remanded to custody
“Government keen to promote folk art forms”
Security beefed up following threat letter
“Children of unmarried government servants eligible for family pension benefits”
More powers for local bodies mooted
“Building social capital can give small firms a competitive edge”

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu