Kolhapur, May 30 (KNN) A simmering dispute between textile sizing unit owners and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) came to a head this week over allegations that the regulator plans to shutter operations in the textile hub.

At a meeting on Tuesday organised by the local Sizing Association, industry representatives claimed the MPCB has unfairly targeted their factories while turning a blind eye to other entities discharging an estimated 8.5 crore litres of untreated sewage daily into area rivers and waterways.

"The MPCB is issuing shutdown notices to us for lacking bio-digesters to treat effluents, despite previously advising us to purchase land and install the treatment systems ourselves," stated Jayant Marathe, president of the association.

He cited the high costs and logistical hurdles involved in self-managing bio-digesters as prohibitive for most sizing unit owners.

Marathe declared that if the regulatory pressure persists, the town's 150 textile sizing facilities, which employ nearly 4,500 workers, would go on an indefinite strike. Such a move could have cascading impacts on Ichalkaranji's vital weaving, handloom, and powerloom textile sectors.

For its part, the MPCB has yet to publicly address the allegations but has historically defended its monitoring and enforcement efforts as critical for controlling industrial pollution.

The heating conflict highlights the challenges developing regions like Maharashtra face in balancing economic development with environmental protection. With sizing an indispensable component of the textile production chain, all stakeholders have incentives to find a compromise solution.

(KNN Bureau)