Power looms in over 8,000 households in Nagari municipality have come to a grinding halt as the stir by weavers’ families for a hike in the price of cloth production entered seventh day on Monday.
The problem began when the power tariff was hiked in the State a few months back. For the power loom sector, which was still reeling under the impact of the pandemic, the hike came as another blow. In April, the weavers raised their demand to hike the cloth production cost by a minimum of ₹30 per meter from its present ₹10.
But when no agreement was reached between the workers and investors, the former had launched their stir at VKR Peta locality in Nagari on July 5, followed by rallies at the arterial junctions, followed by half-naked demonstration and symbolic “bikshatana”. The weavers said that the the monthly power charges on each power loom machine used to hover below ₹1,000 before the power tariff hike.
“After the hike came into effect, we are getting ₹6,000 or even more on each unit. At this rate, it is impossible to deliver the goods to investors at ₹10 per meter of cloth production. Absence of subsidy has made us helpless,” said Gunasekhar, a protesting weaver.
Nagari has the presence of a large number of weavers spread over Satrawada, VKR Peta, Ekambara Kuppam, Chintalapatteda, and other localities, while the investors or master weavers hail from Nagari and some parts of Tamil Nadu. While the investors provide the yarn and other materials, the weavers of the cottage industry process the bales of cloth, from dyeing the yarn to the final stage. The finished fabric would be handed over to the investors, who in turn supply the stocks to various textile units in Tamil Nadu and some northern States.
‘No response from officials’
The stir organisers deplored that though they had made representations about the weavers’ issue with the revenue and labor department officials, there was no response from them. “Several families of weavers are in penury after the pandemic. The master-weavers are so ruthless to their genuine demand for a hike in production cost. We will intensify the stir and will not budge till our demands are accepted,” said another weaver from the Satrawada locality.
Meanwhile, leaders of the opposition parties, including the Telugu Desam Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, and Jana Sena, have kept visiting the weavers’ agitation camp to extend solidarity with them.
The political leaders said that though the predominant sections of weavers from Nagari had been appealing to Nagari MLA and Tourism Minister R.K. Roja to respond to their grievance, there was no tangible assurance from her.
