HYDERABAD: Textiles minister KT Rama Rao on Monday said that the burning of Bathukamma sarees at some places in the state had been sponsored by Opposition parties.“The Opposition has no other work to do. The burning of sarees is sponsored by the Opposition. It is orchestrated. The protests are manipulated,” Rama Rao told reporters at Secretariat on Monday. Earlier, Handlooms and Textiles director Shailaja Ramaiyer said that the quality of sarees was as per their specifications. If there are any damages in the sarees, officials will replace them, he said.
Rama Rao said that the distribution of sarees was taken up in all 31 districts at 8,000 centres and distributed 25 lakh sarees on Monday, as against the total target of 1.04 crore sarees. “In such a massive programme, burning of sarees at four to five places is minor and that too sponsored by the Opposition,” Rama Rao said.The protests were organised only in Jagtial and Sattupally areas, Rama Rao pointed out. “Even if women do not like the sarees, they will not burn them,” Some politicians forcibly whisked away sarees from women after distribution,” he said.
Salaries increased
Speaking to reporters earlier, Handlooms director Shailaja Ramaiyer said the quality of sarees was as per their specifications. “Some sarees were cut due to milling process. If one or two damaged sarees are found, the officials will replace them with new ones,” she said.She said that as it was a massive programme and as the Sircilla powerloom weavers could not supply 1.04 crore sarees, the officials procured only 50 per cent sarees from Sircilla. The remaining 50 per cent sarees were procured from five mills in Surat, she said. Both Sircilla and Surat sarees weigh 420 grams. However, the quality was different. The Surat sarees had used twisted polyester yarn, while filament yarn was used for Sircilla sarees.
98,800 Bathukamma sarees distributed in city on first day
Hyderabad: On the first day of distribution of Bathukamma sarees, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in coordination with public representatives distributed around 98,800 Bathukamma sarees among women. The GHMC proposes to distribute around 7,60,839 sarees in total. GHMC had made arrangements in circle offices for distribution of the sarees.