Malegaon powerlooms working despite blasts

For the over 2.5 lakh powerlooms in this textile town, it has been business as usual despite the bomb attacks that killed 31 people and injured nearly 300.

"Powerlooms were the first to shut every time a riot or any violence occurred in the town in the past. But this time, it is different," said 50-year-old Ahmed, a loom worker.

The looms, which have not stopped buzzing even after four bomb blasts on Friday, are the source of livelihood for a majority of the seven lakh residents of this town in north Maharashtra.

"How will we feed our families if the looms are stopped?" asked Alim, who works in a powerloom situated close to Bada Kabrastan, the site of two blasts.

"It is a threat if they stop functioning, people get free time which can be put to use for rioting," reasoned Akhtar, another loom worker.

"The reaction of Mumbaikars after the July 11 blasts (on trains) has shown that though we are shaken, we have to carry on," Akhtar said.

In the past, workers in Malegaon's powerlooms were paid Rs 150 a day for a 12-hour shift. But due to load shedding, the shifts have been curtailed to seven to eight hours and the wages too have fallen.