Dream comes true for AP weavers

GUNTUR/ONGOLE: Handloom weavers of Guntur and Prakasam districts are a happy lot over the budget proposal to set up a mega handloom cluster for these two districts. The cluster will be set up in Bapatla Parliamentary constituency at an estimated cost of Rs 70 crore.It will facilitate improvement in infrastructure and marketing and strengthen weavers organisations, in addition to skill upgradation, design development and product diversification. Chirala in Prakasam district and Mangalagiri in Guntur district are popular handloom towns. In view of crisis in the sector, thousands of weavers migrated to other places in search of livelihood.Of the 22,000 handlooms in Prakasam district, 17,000 are located at Chirala and 19,000 of the 24,000 looms in Guntur district are at Mangalagiri. Weavers in the two districts are demanding handloom parks for the last 10 years.  “During election campaigns, all major parties gave assurances in this regard. But now, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has fulfilled our demand,” said U Koteswari, a weaver at Mangalagiri. “Lack of research for improvement in design is one of the major reasons for the fall in sales. As no entrepreneur is coming forward to invest in design improvement, weavers are making do with old designing. Stocks are piling up as the market is shrinking,” said master weaver C Rama Chary of Eepurupalem at Chirala.Another master weaver, KV Lakshmana Rao, says, “We are incurring losses due to poor sales. Master weavers are not in a position to provide employment to weavers.”“The mega handloom cluster announced by Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament will surely help distressed weaver community,” said J Fernandes, a handloom design worker at Mangalagiri.R Venkataiah, a weaver of Jandrapeta, says an ordinary worker earns hardly Rs 100 per day.  Speaking to Express over phone from Delhi, textiles minister Panabaka Lakshmi said the mega cluster would provide training to all types of  weavers.