WARANGAL: BC Rajyadhikara Samithi on Wednesday accused fake handloom mafia of bringing disrepute to families of handloom weavers by manufacturing fake Pochampally Ikat sarees and marketing them through the shopping malls in twin cities of Warangal and Hanamkonda.
Speaking to media at the Hanamkonda Press Club, Samithi convener Dasu Suresh disclosed that there are as many as 25 shopping malls in Warangal and Hanamkonda owned by a single individual but run by different persons as benamis of the person.
He said following complaints, the BC Sangham had carried out an undercover investigation and found that one of the shopping malls in Warangal city had sold a fake Pochampally Ikat saree to a decoy customer passing it off as handloom silk. Same had been the case with regard to several other malls, which lured gullible customers with massive advertisements and discounts.
The Samithi convener alleged that the shopping malls are selling fake handlooms in collusion with officials of the state government, who look the other way. He wanted to know how many of these shopping mall owners had been actually dealing with handlooms before the formation of Telangana.
Suresh demanded that officials of the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax department raid these malls and expose their illegal business that runs into over ₹50,000 crore.
The Samithi convener alleged that by restricting Sircilla weavers to weaving Bathukamma sarees, the state government is indirectly helping the fake handloom mafia, which is selling powerloom fabrics from Chittoor, Anantapuram and Tamil Nadu through corporate-level shopping malls, portraying the products as handlooms.
Making a comparison, Suresh charged that while Telangana government is giving ₹300 to weavers of Bathukamma sarees, fake handloom sarees imported from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh are being sold for ₹3,000.
Association members Satla Sadanandam, Chevuri Odelu, Esampally Baby, Madasu Suresh, Gandikinda Rajitha, Kallepalli Kumar and Nellatla Veeraswamy were among those present at the press conference.
