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.
