Former Tamil Nadu Minister I. Periyasamy has assured Sungudi dyeing workers in Chinnalapatti that he will continue to stand by them and work to protect their livelihoods. The assurance comes at a time when nearly 2,000 workers have reportedly been left without employment as Sungudi dyeing units have remained closed for the past 60 days.
Chinnalapatti in Dindigul district has been a centre for the traditional Sungudi dyeing industry for more than 50 years. According to the workers, the industry functioned without interruption during the previous DMK government. They alleged that, following the change in government, stricter enforcement by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has put the Sungudi dyeing industry in Chinnalapatti at risk.
As dyeing units have remained non-operational for the past two months, around 2,000 workers have been affected, with many reportedly seeking employment in cities such as Madurai and Karur.
Representatives of the Chinnalapatti Sungudi dyeing workers met I. Periyasamy, former Minister for Rural Development and DMK Deputy General Secretary, and appealed to him to help safeguard the traditional Sungudi industry and protect the welfare of its workers.
Responding to their request, Periyasamy said that he has been supporting handloom weavers and Sungudi dyeing workers in Chinnalapatti since 1989. He assured the workers that he would continue his efforts to secure relief for those affected and help restore normal operations of the Sungudi dyeing industry.
The workers expressed their gratitude to the former minister for his assurance of continued support.
Several DMK leaders and functionaries attended the meeting, including Thandapani, Athur Natarajan, A. Nagarajan, K. Sathiyamoorthy, Dindigul Nedunchezhian, Murugesan, Rajappa, Media Saravanan, Vanchinathan, Vivekanandan, Arul Jeganathan, Balasubramani (Komban), Kalairajan, Denny, Akbar, Muruganandam, L. Kannan, Nandagopal, K. Pudhukottai Ramesh, Nellai Subash, and other district and city-level DMK office-bearers.