July 20, 2017
Ahamed Hassan Imran makes a Zero Hour Mention regarding crisis in textile industry due to GST
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Sir, Government action has caused unrest among the textile and readymade garment traders throughout the country.
Due to GST, there is confusion and fear among the traders and no efforts have been made by the Government to ease the situation. There was a nationwide three-day strike by the textile workers before the launch of the GST. Some five lakh textile and readymade garment shops across Bengal – and some 5000 shops alone in Barabazar, Kolkata – were on strike against the tax imposed on textiles. Readymade garment traders are still on strike. The expected loss due to the strike is said to be around Rs 22,000 crore.
The situation is similar in almost all the other states of the country, be it Gujarat or Maharashtra. In BJP-ruled Gujarat, thousands of traders are on the ground protesting against GST in various towns. In Surat alone, some 75,000 textile traders were on strike against GST till yesterday. This strike, lasting for more than 20 days, has led to a situation where around 15 lakh labourers in Surat are now jobless. These are daily wage earners who have been forced to return to their homes in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bengal. The estimated loss due to this indefinite strike is around Rs 5,000 crore.
Who is to be blamed for the loss of the economy? The Government needs to answer. Who is to be blamed for the job loss throughout the country? The Government, instead of having a dialogue with the traders, is suppressing their demands by force. Unfortunately, their plight is not much highlighted in the media.
Sir, through you, I ask the Government to start a dialogue with the textile and readymade garment traders, listen to their demand and take appropriate action.
Thank you.
