BHUBANESWAR: Chairman of Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) and principal advisor to the chief minister Asit Tripathy on Thursday advised the Bargarh district administration to shift the weavers marketing their handloom products in open air market at Balijori to the newly constructed Bunakar Bazar.
The Textiles and Handlooms department has constructed an exclusive bazar with an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore for weavers but they are unwilling to shift in protest as the government is not doing anything to prevent the entry of non-handloom sarees of Sambalpuri brand from manufacturers from outside the state.
Tripathy during his visit to the Bunakar Bazar saw that the marketing facility equipped with all modern facilities is not being used by local weavers who are selling their products at the weekly market.
Tripathy was informed that new designs developed for Sambalpuri brand sarees are imitated by garment manufacturers from other states and have now flooded the local markets with non handloom sarees and dress materials of same patterns with lesser prices. This has seriously impacted the trade of the local weavers.
He advised the weavers association to submit a petition for appropriate action by the state government. He advised the district collector to take steps for organising an all India weaver’s convention at Bargarh to be funded by WODC to address various critical issues of the local weavers with a vision document for implementation.