No light in sight at the end of tunnel for weavers

The unprecedented rains and floods during monsoon in 2019 literally broke the backbone of the weavers in the district with their power-looms getting submerged, raw materials destroyed and workshop-cum-homes damaged.

While they had begun to crawl to regain strength and sell some of their products by restoring their power-looms, the Covid-19 pandemic again pushed them to the wall. With lakhs of sarees in stock, the weavers are in a grim situation, with no light in sight at the end of the tunnel for the coming season too.

“If the government purchases its requirements of different departments from us, instead of calling for open tenders, the weavers from across the State will benefit, and will also come out of debts. The industry will flourish providing more employment. This demand has been pending since long and pleas to provide orders to the weavers have fallen on deaf ears, weavers’ representatives say.

Shahapuri sarees in demand

The weavers of Shahapuri sarees, popularly called as Belagavi sarees, are spread in the suburbs of Vadgaon, Khasbag, and Old Belagavi in the City. Sulebhavi village in Belagavi taluk manufactures sarees, from cotton to silk, as per demand in the market.

These weavers also manufacture sarees at Sureban, Kadakol, Halgatti, and other surrounding villages in Ramdurg taluk, Yamakanamaradi and Hattargi in Hukkeri taluk, Munavalli and Saundatti, Borgaon in Chikkodi taluk, and at Nej in Nippani taluk.

The workshop-cum-homes of weavers results see the entire family toiling to earn their daily bread.

Despite a slump in the business, the weavers had been somehow running the show. But, the unprecedented rains and floods dealt a severe blow. Power-looms, raw materials, and finished products worth lakhs of rupees were damaged due to the workshops-cum-houses collapsing during monsoon in 2019.

25,000 power looms damaged

Around 25,000 power looms were damaged, and more than two lakh persons were directly affected due to rains and floods. The government initially announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 per power loom, and later changed it to per family, which dealt another blow, say the weavers.

The weavers under the banner of Belagavi District Nekar Okkut led by MLA Abhay Patil held meetings with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, and urged the government to come to their aid.

“We had also met Education Minister S Suresh Kumar and requested him to direct the Education Department to procure cloth from us to revive our business, but the demand is yet to be met,” says weavers’ representative Gajanan Gunjeri.

Floods during 2019, and Covid-19 pandemic this year destroyed the weavers’ lives. The outlook for the next year too looks bleak. The weavers are passing through a difficult phase, and the government needs to stand by them. Sarees in lakhs have been lying with them with no demand in the market, while debts have been mounting, he said.

Of the 32,000 power looms in the district, around 25,000 are damaged. Each power loom has about four workers that includes the owners too. Over two lakh people depending on them have been hit, he noted.

The weavers are not in a state to compete with big companies in the open tenders to supply the needs of the government. If open tenders are avoided, we can supply the same to the government at the same prices. This will help us regain our business, Gunjeri said.