No Govt orders: Telangana weavers stare at severe crisis
The annual orders from the government for the weavers include those for Bathukamma sarees worth Rs.350 crore, school uniforms worth Rs.115 crore and KCR kit sarees among others.
Hyderabad: Uncertainty, coupled with a severe financial crisis, is staring weavers in Telangana right in the eye, especially those in Rajanna-Sircilla, with the State government yet to confirm or assure orders worth over Rs.500 crore that that have been an annual feature since 2017.
The annual orders from the government for the weavers include those for Bathukamma sarees worth Rs.350 crore, school uniforms worth Rs.115 crore and KCR kit sarees among others, altogether worth between Rs.500 crore and Rs.550 crore.
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However, this year, instead of the usual orders for 2 crore metres of cloth for school uniforms, the government has placed orders for 20 lakh metres of cloth with the weavers for school uniforms under the Rajiv Vidya Mission apart from orders for 45 lakh metres of cloth to the Sircilla Textiles Park, Polyester Clothes Association president Mandala Satyam said.
Though these orders were welcome, they were not sufficient to rescue the weavers from further losses, he said.
The heaps of unsold polyester cloth is also a major concern, he said, adding that worried over the piled up stocks getting damaged, weavers were selling the stocks in the open market at huge losses.
“There could be stocks worth at least Rs.70 crore and left with no choice, the stocks are being sold at losses. Generally, a metre is sold for about Rs.9.25 but now we are selling for Rs.8.10 a metre to traders in Pathergatti and other places in Hyderabad,” Satyam said, adding that if the stocks got older, the prices would even decline further.
Usually, Bathukamma orders are placed with the weavers towards the end of January but this year, no such exercise has commenced. Though, the Bathukamma festival is celebrated during Dasara festivities, the Handlooms department holds meeting with weavers for placing orders. After a couple of meetings with weavers over designs and other specifications, the department places its orders. However, this time nothing of that sort has happened so far.
Admitting the delay, a senior Handlooms official said they had reminded the government about the Bathukamma sarees.
“The government has to decide and take a call. We hope there will be clarity over the issue in a few days,” he said.
The Polyester Clothes Association and powerloom workers had shut operations and protested from January 15 to 19. Following an assurance from the State government that it would purchase their produce, the strike was withdrawn. But there has been no development after that.
“We are pinning our hopes on the government orders and expecting that there could be a meeting in a few days,” Satyam said.
