THE looms have fallen silent in Bhiwandi. The rain that began on July 24, which submerged most of Bhiwandi, did not spare the power-loom sheds. Some of them were submerged in three metres of water for two days. The people are trying to deal with a calamity that has dealt a body blow to a major industry.
On the riverbank at Rasoolabad Khadipar in Khoni village, which has rows of powerloom sheds, workers are busy checking the weaving on some of the looms. Many are lying in a state of complete disrepair. Watermarks on the walls indicate that the looms were submerged. The beams are damp and the yarn is wet. Mohammed Rafique, a worker, said there had been no work for eight days. The weavers were the worst affected since they have gone without wages ever since the rain began. Brahm Deb, a young boy from Bihar who has been working in Bhiwandi for over a year, said he had not had work, at a daily wage of Rs.80, for a week.
Nafiz Fareed, the owner of the powerloom company, which has 25 workers, said people were stuck for three days without any help. The daily production losses were estimated at around Rs.15,000; the total losses were estimated at around Rs.18 lakhs. It would take another 10 days to restore normalcy as the looms were submerged. He has 56 looms and will need at least Rs.5,000 to repair each loom.
In the nearby powerloom shed, Mohammed Rehman and others are trying to revive the expensive jacquard looms, damaged in the flooding. "These looms cost Rs.1 lakh each and it will be a task to revive them," said Rehman. He and 14 other workers have not received their wages for over a week. "How can we expect payment when there is no work? It will take another 15 days to restart the looms and we may need Rs.5 lakhs to repair them," he said.
Faizan Ahmed Azmi, president of the Maharashtra Powerloom Federation, said that of the six lakh power-looms in Bhiwandi, about 200,000 to 250,000 were affected. Also affected were materials, yarn and stored goods. He estimated the losses at Rs.600 crores. Many looms were under three metres of water.
The town of Bhiwandi is synonymous with the powerloom industry. There are about eight lakh workers engaged in various aspects of cloth production and many of them have been rendered jobless. The powerlooms are located close to the riverbank and many of them are not insured. "Each loom will need Rs.15,000 to Rs.20,000 to be repaired," Azmi said.
The sprawling warehouses near Bhiwandi, too, were flooded and stocks were damaged. At Arihant compound, rows of warehouses contain damp and damaged goods. "The water stayed here for three days," says Bajirao Naikde of Shree Malhar Transport Company. "I've lost all the papers and documents and it is difficult to value my losses. But it must be around Rs.15 to 20 lakhs," he said.
Opposite is the godown of Pitambari products, which manufactures cleaning products. "We have lost goods worth Rs.70 to 80 lakhs stored in four sheds," said Kirti Kumar, manager. It was the main godown of the company.
It is the pharmaceutical and textile companies that have sustained major losses. Bhiwandi is the "mother" godown for many drug companies such as Cipla, Novartis, Wockhardt, Ranbaxy, Pfizer and Lupin and losses are being pegged at Rs.1,000 crores. The stocks of many companies are unusable. The stocks of textiles were also damaged and losses were estimated at Rs.500 crores to Rs.1,000 crores.
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