Post News Network
Rourkela, Dec 10: Mindless use of polythene carrybags has affected livelihood of over 300 families of ‘thunga’ (paper packet) makers in the Steel City. They struggle to make both ends meet as the ban on use of polythene bags is not carried out strictly, the families said.
According to a report, more than 200 families of Nalanda and Gaya districts of undivided Bihar settled down at Madhusudanpali slum here about two decades back. They used to earn over Rs200 a day as the demand for paper carrybags was high then. Thungas were sold to wholesalers at the daily market. All the family members used to lend hands in thunga-making as the income was pretty decent then. An individual could make 300 to 500 thungas on a day. They were available in several denominations – 100 gm, 250 gm, 500 gm, 1 kg, 2 kg and 5 kg – depending upon the quantities of the items.
However, the requirement came drastically down with demand for polythene carriers having shot up as they were convenient for users. Soon, these families lost their income as they often found their products unsold. At present, only 2/3 wholesalers order for paper carrybags. While big size thungas like 1kg, 2kg and 5 kg capacity are almost obsolete now, some use 50 gm and 100 gm thungas to sell items like ‘jhalmudhi’ (chilly puffed rice) or peanuts.
Of the 300 families of Madhusudanpali, only 30 to 40 families are engaged in thunga making. The income has come down to Rs 40 to Rs50 a day even if someone works an entire day, a report said.
A few thunga makers including Suresh Sao, Rajib Sao, Sharmila Das, Nunubati Devi, who still eke out a living from this business, said they don’t get value of their hard labour.
They purchase old newspapers from scrap godowns paying around Rs10 per kg. The papers are cut to different sizes and they apply glue to produce carrybags. These are sold at Rs 18-20 a kg in the open market.
“Our earnings have been badly hit by the mindless use of polythene carrybags. A ban on its use by the district administration might bring changes in our fortunes,” Anita Devi, Rekha Devi and Baby Devi of the slum said.
