VIJAYAWADA: Come winter and the Gandhi Nagar Road buzzes with activity as people throng the Tibetan Refugee Market to grab woollen wear for chilly nights. This, however, is not a good news for the local traders, whose products become out of demand because of the good quality and low price of things sold at the Tibetan refugee market.
As the demand for woollen wear increases, the sale of these woollen wear, brought to the city by people from northeastern states, has started gaining pace. Many traders, including those from Tibet, come here to sell their products every year. This year also, they have set up stalls near Canal Road of Gandhi Nagar, at the Tibetan Refugee Market. Nearly 12 stalls have been put up.
“We are originally from Tibet. But we have been staying in Odisha for more than 40 years. Though this year the sale was not good initially due to the climate, we have now begun to earn profits. I have been setting up my stall here for 12 years. The profits that we gain have never disappointed me till date,” said T Sonam, a seller.
The weavers sell a variety of woollen items such as sweaters and mufflers ranging from `100 to `2,500 and blankets ranging from `500 (single bed) and `900 (double bed) to `4,000. Many prefer to buy clothes from these stalls as they are reasonably priced and unlike branded shops, one can bargain to a great extent here. “We prefer buying sweaters from here as they are of a good quality,” said Lakshmi, a customer. “We have been selling our products in Vijayawada on stalls allocated by VMC for the past 12 years,” said Tinetin, a seller.