Rasulpur: As many as 1,500 weavers at Gopalpur village under Prathamakhanda panchayat of this block in Jajpur district have been left without any work following the closure of over 3,000 looms due to acute shortage of tussar cocoons, a report said Thursday. This has robbed them of their livelihood as many of them are now withdrawing from what has been their profession for generations. They are now in search of alternatives to eke out a living despite good demand for tussar clothes in the market.
Left with no option, weaver leaders Gobind Chandra Das, Pratima Guin, Nirupama Das, Pranakrushna Dutta, Surendra Das, Antaryami Dutta, Ashok Kumar Guin and Ramesh Das have warned to take to the streets for the fulfillment of their demands. Gopalpur tussar cloth is made from the cocoons of the tropical tussar silkworm and is distinguished by its rich texture, subtle sheen, and delicate drape. The cloth is known for its breathability and comfort, making it ideal to wear in warm and humid climates. The weavers alleged that the closure of the looms due to raw material shortage has put them at the crossroads of life with many of them abandoning their ancestral occupation and shifting to other jobs. This has happened as the raw material supplier Odisha Cooperative Tussar and Silk Federation Ltd (Serifed) has failed to supply them with tussar cocoons. This is not the case for a day or two but has been going on for months. The weavers’ cooperative societies in the village have informed the state textile director about their problem but he is yet to take a call on the issue. After waiting for a long, the weavers and the members of the weaver’s cooperative societies are planning to take to the streets and undertake a march to Bhubaneswar (Bhubaneswar Chala Abhiyan) to resolve their demands.
Sources said that the weavers have repeatedly lodged complaints with the director of the state Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts department about the problems being faced by the weavers’ cooperative societies, self-help groups involved in the business, master weavers and all other stakeholders in the trade. They have apprised him about their seven-point charter of demands but their pleas are yet to be addressed. According to their complaints, the Serifed had supplied them with raw materials like tussar cocoons in 2022 which got exhausted towards the end of the year. Four months have passed since then but the Serifed is yet to supply them with tussar cocoons for the 2023-24 FY.
Meanwhile, tussar cocoon prices have increased sharply due to a decline in its harvesting. They have pleaded with the director to control the increasing prices of cocoons and make a proper price fixation so that they are not put into difficulty. The weaver families have demanded a supply of solar lights under the state-sponsored ‘Rajya Bana Jyoti Yojana’ as the solar lights supplied to them under Central grant in FY 2018-19 developed snags. This has put them in a fix as the weaver clusters are not included under the state-sponsored ‘Rajya Bayan Jyoti Yojana’. They have called for a change in the rules to include the clusters to avail the benefits of state-sponsored schemes. They alleged that the state government has made it a point to give loans to the weavers under its Balia Yojana.
However, the stiff condition has made it difficult for them to avail of a loan under the scheme, and demanded to simplify the rules to help them avail the benefits. They also demanded to equate the pension of weavers with the pension for artistes by reducing the age bar of weavers under Baristha Bunakar Sahayata Yojana.
Apart from this, they also urged to allow weavers for the construction of workshops in their own residences who do not have separate land for the purpose. Among others, they demanded payment of their bills within a fortnight of purchase of their tussar and other clothes as well as the establishment of a cotton thread and cloth bank by state-owned Boyanika. The establishment of an ESI hospital in the Gopalpur area also finds a place on their list. Reports said that the managing director of Serifed and Utkalika Saroj Kumar Patel and deputy director of Cuttack textile division Ashutosh Mohanty visited Gopalpur village in April and took stock of the problems faced by the weavers. The two senior officials also assured for the supply of tussar cocoons which is yet to be realised. A Serifed official said that they are collecting tussar cocoons from the Sukinda area which will soon be supplied to the weavers in Gopalpur. Now all eyes are on Serifed as to when the office will supply the tussar cocoons to the weavers.
