T.N. Assembly Election 2026: Delay in proposed textile park sparks concern among residents of Gudiyatham constituency

The prolonged delay in starting work on the proposed textile park in Gudiyatham Assembly constituency, a reserved seat for the Scheduled Caste (SC), has irritated the voters, mostly handloom weavers, as the proposed project will help revive the handloom industry in the riverside town.

Dotted with clusters of handlooms, Gudiyatham is the center of the traditional weaving community; because every other household in the cramped town and the surrounding farming villages has had a handloom for decades. “The handloom industry in the region has become a troubled unit mainly due to the rise in raw material prices and labor costs and lack of space for global exports,” said weaver S. Mahalingam.