Budget: Empty hand to textile park

Warangal: The State Budget 2024-25 presented by Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka has no mention of any allocation to the big-ticket project, Kakatiya Mega Textile Park (KMTP), a fibre-to-fabric (end-to-end) facility, but there was an assurance to develop it under the PM MITRA (Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel.)

It’s been seven years since the foundation stone was set for the KMTP in Geesugonda mandal. Although some of the textile majors such as Youngone Corporation of Korea, manufacturer of synthetic jackets, boots, tracksuits etc, and Ernakulam-based Kitex Group, one of the largest kids apparel manufacturers, have come forward to invest Rs 1,000 crore each, the textile park is nowhere near to get operationalised in the near future.

The then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao painted a rosy picture when he performed Bhumi Puja for the KMTP that it would trigger a sort of reverse migration of thousands of workers living in Bhiwandi, Surat and Solapur in Maharashtra. It was also said that the park would generate more than 60,000 jobs. It appeared like that the KMTP would fill the void left by the defunct and abandoned Azam Jahi Mills that once provided direct and indirect employment to more than 10,000 people.

Speaking to The Hans India, CPI State Secretariat Member Takkalapally Srinivas Rao expressed disappointment over the government for not allocating budgetary to the KMTP. “As Telangana is one of the top producers of cotton, especially the erstwhile Warangal district, the textile park would also augur well for the cotton farmers. Instead of relying on Rs 200 funding from the PM MITRA, the government would have taken the initiative to operationalise the textile park,” Rao said.