Sericulture Minister announces in Assembly; says officers misguided CM

Mysore/Mysuru: Under mounting pressure from Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) staff, environmental groups and Opposition parties, the State Government has decided to drop the proposed stadium project inside the premises of the KSIC Filature Factory at T. Narasipur.

Sericulture Minister K. Venkatesh announced in the Assembly this morning that the plan to construct a stadium within the 13.11-acre factory campus has been scrapped. Earlier, the proposal envisaged building the stadium on 5.08 acres of land that had been handed over to the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES).

The announcement follows an agitation by KSIC employees, who had gone on strike for more than a fortnight, opposing the stadium project.

Responding to a question raised by Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa on why the Government was insisting on constructing the stadium inside KSIC premises, thereby destroying Mysore Silk heritage, the Minister said, certain officials had misled the Chief Minister, who represents Varuna Constituency and the Government into believing that KSIC land was the most suitable site for the stadium.

“There is a huge demand for GI-tagged Mysore Silk and we are facing a demand for 300 to 400 sarees a day. It is a highly competitive sector with players from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. We have successfully outperformed them in terms of silk quality. We will increase the production and modernise the units,” he said.

The Government, he added, has decided to preserve the heritage property and ensure the quality and legacy of Mysore Silk by dropping the stadium plan.

Meanwhile, Mysuru District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa

yesterday had assured Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, a member of the erstwhile Mysore Royal Family, that the KSIC Filature Factory would not be shut down.

In a press statement issued last evening, Pramoda Devi said, she had met the Minister following concerns expressed by various sections of society in Mysuru and Bengaluru regarding the future of the factory.

“I am pleased to inform that the Minister has responded positively to the sentiments expressed by all concerned and assured that KSIC factory at T. Narasipur will not be shut down,” Pramoda Devi said, expressing gratitude on behalf of those associated with the silk sector.