Samiti general secretary, Datta Iswalkar, told this paper that it was high time that the state should speedily act in the "larger interests of the mill workers whose strength has come down from a record 2,85,000 to mere 43,000." He said that a letter has been sent to chief minister Manohar Joshi.

Iswalkar alleged that the state government had failed to take action against the city textile mills which have violated the Development Control Rules and have illegally carried out land development. The government has not releasedreports of the cabinet sub-committee which looked into irregularities committed by these mills.

Sriram Mills has allegedly failed to carry out modernisation though closed down various departments. Raghuvanshi Mills demolished old structures under the garb of repairs and constructed new ones illegally. Khatau Mills has not paid workers their salaries since March 1997.

Kamala Mills has added four extra floors to a building against permission for one floor and constructed three additional buildings without necessary sanction. Modern Mills has carried out more work without valid permission and was allowed to diversify into real estate activity.

Victoria Mills, which is more than 100 years old, was taken over last year by Oasis Fashions which introduced a voluntary retirement scheme with Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh. The new management reduced the number of workers from 1,711 to 850. Work has been suspended in most units since April. The management has said that it can provide jobs to 450 workers as part ofa scheme to confine production for export.

Iswalkar said that it was ironical that the managements of Swan and Matulya have not paid workers their salaries. According to him, the ruling saffron alliance had not abolished the BIR Act. The alliance in its "vachannama" released during the 1995 assembly elections had assured that the BIR Act would be abolished and replaced by another comprehensive act. Though a bill has been introduced, it has been pending for clearance by the joint select committee of the state legislature.

The government wants to remove the monopoly of the RMMS in the textile sector and introduce a secret ballot system. Incidentally, the Samiti has supported the alliance government's move to abolish the BIR Act. It has demanded that the government should not waste further time and introduce a new Act instead.