Jharkhand News: Palamu plans for revival of apparel parks with start-up aid

THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK

Daltonganj, April 23: Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) Md Shabbir Ahmad today inspected the closed Koel Aajeevika Apparel Park located in the block premises of Chainpur.

DDC Shabbir, known by his first name, inquired about the status of nearly 150 tailoring machines including the button sewing machines lying idle for no order of linen work over the last more than two years.

The sewing machines need urgent overhauling as long shutdown of it has affected their bobbins, needles, seam ripper, thimble, head pins, reverse lever etc.

A sum of rupees around 5 lakhs is required for restart of this apparel park, the DDC was told by a functionary there.

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Administrative Push for Revival; Focus on Startups, MSMEs

DDC Shabbir Ahmad told the Jharkhand Story correspondent, “Our DC Shashi Ranjan is determined to revive and rejuvenate this apparel park. This apparel park is now under the Zila Parishad.”

“Under orders of the DC the administration is looking for some start-ups to muster courage and zeal and take hold of this apparel park. Doors are also open to micro, small and medium entrepreneurs too,” added the DDC.

“We have two more apparel parks apart from this Chainpur one. One is at Paton, having 44 sewing machines and the other is at Lesliganj where there are 40 sewing machines,” informed the DDC.

The Palamu administration is of the view that a single startup or MSME should be entrusted with managing all three apparel parks—Chainpur, Paton, and Lesliganj—to ensure consistency in production, marketing, and overall business strategy.

There is a stiff competition in fabric business and it is most acute and severe in children’s wear.

If the apparel park is to survive in the highly competitive fabric business, it has to be at pace with the fast-changing trends in children’s wear and men’s and women’s outfits.

DDC Shabbir said, “Palamu administration is making efforts to make the apparel parks proactive and must cater to the needs of the Self-Help Groups (SHG) of women. The start-ups or the MSMES are to rope in the trained and the skilled hands for the apparel manufacturing, otherwise market’s fluctuations do affect the fabric business severely”.

“Start-ups and MSMES will have from us a very congenial workplace, affordable human resources, electricity, water and safety and security”, reminded the DDC.

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Unpaid Electricity Bill Worth Rs 20 lakh

Here a functionary of the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) informed the DDC about the power disconnection of this apparel park at Chainpur for the hopping unpaid electricity bills worth 20 lakhs of rupees.

Interestingly, this 20 lakhs of the unpaid bills of electricity is of the period spanning over more than 2 years when it was totally shut.

This apparel park had a fixed monthly valuation of the electricity worth 35,000 rupees per month with the Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited.

Now, even for the months in all these little over two years, this monthly bill worth 35,000 rupees per month went up at the rate of compound interest.

DDC asked the functionary if the electricity department here was ever approached by the apparel park personnel for non-stoppage of the issuance of the monthly electricity bills for the period it was shut.

The functionary fumbled for words to explain this to the DDC who asked the functionary as to how and why such a lackadaisical approach was made in respect of the bills of electricity.

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Stockpile of Uniforms Worth Rs 22 lakh

Alongside nearly ₹20 lakh in unpaid electricity bills, authorities also discovered a stockpile of stitched school uniforms worth over ₹22 lakh. These uniforms have now been discontinued in government schools due to the introduction of a new uniform color scheme for both boys and girls.

DDC Shabbir took one such disbanded school uniform and felt for its quality. To a query as to what the administration would do about these multi-lakh worth stitched but now disbanded school uniforms, he said, “We would see how best it is put to use.”

Would it be distributed free among the needy ones in the administration’s outreach programmes, Shabbir said, “We would seek suggestions for it from the DC.”

Priority to Local Workforce

“To restart this apparel park, we have our unambiguous conviction to have a minimum 75 per cent of the workforce to be locals. I will say we need 90 per cent local human resources to work here. The skilled jobs can be handled by outsiders fit and eligible for it but for the prime work of stitching, etc there has to be local hands only. There is not going to be any compromise with it,” reiterated the DDC.

Tender Process and Vision for Innovation

Tenders will be floated for the start-ups and MSMEs for these apparel parks. The base price line is Rs 10 lakhs. Its upto the start-ups and MSMEs to compete with the baseline price.

There will be a 3 per cent hike after a year’s moratorium for the upkeep, monitoring and production of the apparel parks.

Sources said a mere stitching of petticoats, blouses, shirts, hankies, bags will not suffice for this apparel park to survive in the fabric business and market. It has to be innovative and trend setter in some sense.

Koyel Aajivika Apparel Park had won larger appreciation for stitching 15 lakhs of high-quality Tiranga in the year 2022.

DDC said, “We want to make our apparel parks a new address in the fabric business and market.”