For many traditional handloom weaving cooperatives in the State, the woven fabric has to be transported to Tamil Nadu to get it dyed or printed. This has also been the case with the State government’s free handloom uniforms for students till class 7, which had to be transported to and back from the neighbouring State for dyeing purposes.
Now, a major revamp is about to begin at the State Textile Corporation’s facility at the Textile Park run by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) in Nadukani in Kannur, after which all of this work can be done within the State, with consequent savings in costs and time.
“Not all of the processes required on the fabric could be done as the current facilities are inadequate. So, rather than doing it here, they used to transport it to Tamil Nadu. The facility has thus remained underutilised. The new processing unit will address all these issues, and bleaching, colouring and printing of yarns as well as clothes can be done here. In addition to uniforms, printing of bedsheets, sarees and curtains can be done. Already, all the supporting infrastructure, including an effluent treatment plant, RO plant and access to clean water, is available,” says N. Sasidharan Nair, Chairman, Public Sector Restructuring and Internal Audit Board (RIAB).
Modernisation
The revamping work on the entire facility is set to begin soon and is expected to be completed within 6 to 8 months. He says that the textile sector in the State is set for a major change with the modernisation of many spinning mills. The cooperative spinning mill in Kollam which was upgraded with new machinery will be opened soon. The Alappuzha Cooperative Spinning Mill has also had a major revamp, while similar work is ongoing at the cooperative mill in Thrissur.
