KENDRAPARA: The ruling BJD may have a formidable electoral base in the rural pockets of the district owing to its popular schemes like KALIA and others, but the weavers’ community is reportedly upset with the party. There are around 50,000 weavers in the district. Their votes are capable of making a difference in Kendrapara, Patkura and Mahakalapada Assembly constituencies.
The weavers of villages like Kaudiabarai, Ramachandrapur, Samsara and others in Garadapur and Marsaghai blocks are tired of the apathy of the Government towards their plight. Lack of support, market linkage and focused poverty alleviation programmes for them are their major complaints. Sangram Sahoo, a 56-year-old weaver of Pohana village, said BJD leaders five years back had promised to provide financial assistance to the community to help modernise their existing looms. “But they failed to keep their promise. We are determined to teach BJD a lesson in the coming polls,” he said.
Prakash Sahoo, a weaver of Kusiapala said, “The forces of liberalisation invaded many prosperous weavers’ villages of the district around two decades back. Given the unorganised nature of the loom sector and the continuous neglect of modernisation, education and progressive business practices, the outcome was inevitable.”
He said the closure of Baladevjew power loom at Kendrapara 20 years back has added to the misery of the weavers, several of whom have lost their jobs. President of the district unit of Congress Chinmaya Beura said the State Government has miserably failed to mitigate the woes of weavers as a result of which a large number of them will vote for them in the elections.
However, senior BJD leader and former chairman of Kendrapara municipality Dhiren Sahoo said the Government has formulated several schemes to solve the weavers’ problems. “These schemes involve funding of looms and accessories, upgradation of weavers’ skills, a health insurance policy and an integrated handloom cluster scheme for the ‘holistic’ development of the weavers. The State Government has provided funds to weavers for building work sheds,” he said, adding the weavers will vote for the ruling party in the polls.