Addressing a press conference on Monday, Naik said major issues affecting these mills would be discussed at a meeting convened in the city by the INTUC-affiliated Vidarbha National Textile Workers Federation on March 27.

The mills include 9 textile mills run by the National Textile Corporation and Maharashtra State Textile Corporation, 13 spinning mills that run on a cooperative basis and 6 units engaged in manufacturing man-made fibre. Barring a couple of spinning mills and man-made fibre units, all the mills are in a precarious condition. Even then, proposals have been cleared and financial assistance has been grantedto open 11 more spinning mills in the region. In addition, proposals for 27 more spinning mills are under the State Government's consideration.

With the Government paying no attention to the serious problems affecting the mills, the situation has gone from bad to worse, he said. Textile mills, which were once the pride of the region, are now running on a day-to-day basis. Mill workers are engaged whenever cotton traders use mill machinery for conversion of raw cotton into bales. On other occasions, employees and workers are paid idle wages.

Naik said the convention will be addressed by Sharad Pawar, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, among others and attended by city textile workers and about 300 delegates representing workers from mills at Pulgaona, Hinganghat, Akola, Achalpur, Badnera, Amravati, Pusad, Kalmeshwar, Kohali and Hingna.