The slowdown in 2017 has sunk capital and shovelled weavers in Bhiwandi into a cycle of debt and created a shortage of labour. And if there are no clear policies to promote export of textiles, the future of the industry appears bleak for business. Bhiwandi’s textile industry has become a casualty of volatile government policies, say owners of units that have not been operational for around a year. Media reports suggest around 20 power looms sit silently, covered in dust and cobwebs. The family-owned textile manufacturing facility, in Bhiwandi, has not been operational for almost a year.
A kilometre away, a handful of power looms weave ‘fancy’ fabric; white fabric with intricate borders of red and blue; at Iqbal Burhanpuri’s textile unit in Khadipar. A large part of the unit is not operational.
