Weavers’ colony in despair over minister’s apathy

Kalaburagi: Even though the Minister for Textiles Baburao Chinchansur, who represents the Gurmitkal Assembly constituency in Yadgir, hails from Kalaburagi district, he has not bothered to pay the weavers’ colonies even a single visit during the last year and a half of his tenure. Not only that, not a single review meeting has been conducted within his department to discuss the plight of this struggling community.

It isn't as if the community hasn’t tried, either. When reprentatives or union leaders attempt to bring their problems to Chinchansur’s notice, they return with a stock reply, ‘Don’t worry, all your problems will be solved soon.’ It only took so many failed attempts for the weavers' colony to catch onto the minister’s apathy. “A couple of days ago, when we apprised him of our problems, he made the same assurance. We have no faith in his words anymore, because he is in the habit of making hollow promises. If our demands are not met by January 6, we will launch a relay hunger strike near the Deputy Commissioner's office in Kalaburagi,” said Mr Chandrahekhar Hiremath, President, Shramajeevigala Horata Samiti.

Mr Hiremath had played a key role in the regularisation of over 23,000 daily wage employees by the state government in October 2014. The condition of weavers has deteriorated considerably over the last year, with several units being shut down in Madan Hipparga, Hiroli, Nimbarga, Yalasangi, Bhattarga, Kamanalli, Bhimapur besides Aland town in Aland taluk. The closure has been due to the erratic supply of beams of cotton by the Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation.  This has rendered more than 3,000 families jobless.

According to Mr Hiremath most of the powerloom units which were set up two years ago have also downed their shutters due to irregular supply of power, non-release of subsidy besides raw materials. “After a long struggle, sizing units were set up at Aland town and Gogi village in Shahapur taluk. But these units, which were supplying beams to weavers, have stopped production due to non-supply of cotton, polyster yarn,” he added.

Another major problem weavers faced was of non-revision of rates and non-release of incentives by the government. “Already, the weavers' colonies in most of the villages in Aland taluk wear a deserted look, as skilled labourers have migrated to places like Ichalakaraji, Solapur and Bhivandi in Maharashtra where the government as well as private manufacturers are taking proper care of weavers. The only way of improving weavers’ condition is by way of setting up the power looms by the government.

Otherwise the existing weavers would totally give up their profession here and migrate to better places,” Mr Hiremath remarked.