Although strategically located as a key gateway between Coimbatore and Tiruppur, Sulur still lags behind most other assembly constituencies in Coimbatore district in terms of infrastructural development and access to basic amenities.
Established in 2008 and contested in 2011, the constituency serves as a major center for industry and agriculture in Coimbatore district. The major growing areas are coconut and various vegetables.
The area is known for its cluster of powerlooms, which together with parts of Tiruppur had a total of about 2.5 lakh powerlooms and employed about that many workers. However, the numbers have fallen to nearly 1.75 million over the past five years, largely due to problems related to workers’ wages that have persisted since 2017.
“The cluster accounts for the production of one-third of the gray gada produced in the country. Around 50,000 powerlooms were sold as scrap after remaining shut due to wage issues and other factors in the last five years. Sulur Assembly constituency regions now have about 75,000 powerlooms with as many workers, said E. Bhoopathi, president of Coiruppur Job Owners District.
According to him, the industry, now under the handlooms department, needs to be brought under a separate directorate or ministry for its revival. Although the wage issues were resolved in 2025, wage revisions in future should be handled by the said directorate or ministry through a government order and not through the current system of negotiations between Coimbatore and Tiruppur district collectors, unit owners and fabric manufacturers, he said.
“We have also been demanding a textile market in Somanur for years as it would uplift the region,” he added.
Since coconut is the main crop grown, farmers from the region are demanding better prices for coconut, copra, coconut oil and by-products. The farmers are strongly demanding that the government should immediately introduce a system of distribution of coconut oil through fair price shops to ease their anxiety.
Restoration of Noyyal River
C. Saravanan, a social activist from Karavali Madhapur, said most of the local bodies under Sulur constituency were not managing solid waste properly and were either dumping it in places like abandoned quarries or burning it. He also wanted the authorities to take immediate steps to save the Noyyal River flowing through the region, polluted by industrial and residential sewage.
“There is an urgent need to save the river by removing all encroachments and curbing the discharge of pollutants. Vast stretches of the river are being encroached upon by humans and turned into dumping grounds. Several reservoirs in the region that serve as groundwater recharge sites are also facing the threat of dumping,” he said.
The constituency is home to Pallapalayam tank, Kannapalayam tank, Irugur tank, Achankulam, Sulur small tank, Sulur big tank and Samalapuram tank.
D. Prabhakaran, social activist and secretary of the state organization Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Pathukappu Sangam, said the long-pending demand of the economically weaker sections of the region, namely the establishment of a government arts and science college in the constituency, remains unfulfilled.
“Farmers in Sulur, Somanur and surrounding areas are also suffering crop damage due to large number of deer that have colonized the banks of Noyyal and other barren lands. Steps should be taken to relocate them,” he said.
Published – 24 March 2026 23:02 IST
