Sellur’s private handloom units have requested the government to restore the 200 free power units that have been unavailable for the previous three years. They claimed that the rebirth of the industry in Madurai alone was responsible for the livelihood of over 1,000 individuals, the majority of whom were women.
Sellur used to be Madurai’s handloom centre, with around 40 to 50 units employing thousands. The floods of 1993 forced the closure of the bulk of the units, although 10 to 12 remained operational. G K Vasan, the president of the Tamil Maanila Congress, has requested the government to provide Rs 3,000 in compensation to weavers who have been impacted by the shutdown.
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