Agitating tempo owners to deliver grey fabrics on bullock carts

SURAT: Agitating textile goods tempo owners plan to deliver grey fabrics on camel and

bullock carts

in the textile markets here on Tuesday.

Owners of about 7,000 tempos that deliver unfinished fabrics in the textile markets located on Ring Road went on an indefinite strike demanding free parking and direct supply of goods to textile mills from August 13.

Sources said the tempo owners are on an indefinite strike to protest against managements of textile markets for charging hefty parking fees despite Gujarat high court order to provide free parking at the commercial complexes and shopping malls and action of traffic police of issuing memos to tempo drivers for parking vehicles on the road.

More than 80 per cent of the textile markets are not having parking facilities, while those who have are charging hefty parking fees ranging from Rs30 to Rs80 per hour. The tempo owners are forced to park their vehicles on the road for unloading and loading of grey fabrics from the market.

Shaan Khan, spokesperson of tempo association and labour union, said, “If they are not allowing tempos in the market, we have no other option but to deliver grey fabrics on bullock and camel carts. As a part of our protest, we will deliver goods on camel and bullock carts on Tuesday.”

Khan added, “We are equally concerned with traffic jam situation on Ring Road. We have been demanding that grey fabrics collected from

power loom

weaving units be delivered directly to the textile mills for finishing and there is no need to get the goods to the markets. Managements of the textile markets have stated that they will allow free parking for one hour and that the tempo owners need to pay the charge thereafter.”

Ashish Gujarati, leader of powerloom sector, said, “Most of the small units, who do not have godowns, have stopped manufacturing grey fabrics following the indefinite strike by tempo owners. We have urged the textile traders to accept the demands of the tempo owners.”