Shopping malls join AP textile body stir

AP textile body started in indefinite textilel trade bandh today which could result in a loss of close to Rs 1,000 - 1,500 cr

Shopping malls and retail chains have expressed their solidarity with the ongoing indefinite textile trade bandh called by the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Textiles Associations by suspending sale of fabric at their outlets starting Monday.

“We are at the losing end as many malls are preferring to buy from other states where the cloth is much cheaper due to non-VAT implementation. Now, the malls have also agreed to stop purchase of fabric from other states and sell it in Andhra Pradesh,” federation president Ammanabolu Prakash told mediapersons.

Stating that close to 100,000 textile traders in the state were participating in the indefinite strike from March 8, which was also affecting the lives of around 10 million direct and indirect people involved in the trade, he said the state government, adding fuel to the fire, had brought textile under ‘sensitive commodities’ in order to force them to pay VAT.

“The implementation of VAT is affecting both consumers and traders as both have to churn out additional money to buy and sell the textiles,” he said, adding they would intensify the agitation and continue to observe total bandh until the VAT was abolished.

According to him, the affected turnover due to the indefinite strike could be between Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 1,500 crore per day.