Handloom industry in dire straits in Sirajganj
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Our Correspondent
SIRAJGANJ, Oct 01: The handloom industry in Sirajganj district is now in dire straits because of smuggled Indian cloths, sources said.
Dearth of capital, high price of raw materials and absence of loan facilities, natural calamities, extortion and lack of incentives to handloom workers also contributed to closure of scores of handloom industries.
According to the sources, at least 20,000 handlooms in the two districts had been shut down in the last seven years making thousands of workers unemployed.
However, production in the factories had come down drastically these days. A source close to the district Handloom Board said about 71 per cent of the handloom units in Sirajganj and Pabna districts were shut down due to unabated entrance of India cloths in the country.
Besides, handloom factories with inadequate capital and price hike of raw materials had also contributed to the destruction of the industry.
Sources said floodwater that entered the factory premises damaged most of the looms. As a result, a large number of factories had to be closed down rendering people jobless.
The people have been passing their days in great hardship along with their family members. Some handloom workers said they had been dependent on the traditional industry for their survival.
Some flood-affected families have appealed to the government for rehabilitation but they have so far received no response.
SIRAJGANJ, Oct 01: The handloom industry in Sirajganj district is now in dire straits because of smuggled Indian cloths, sources said.
Dearth of capital, high price of raw materials and absence of loan facilities, natural calamities, extortion and lack of incentives to handloom workers also contributed to closure of scores of handloom industries.
According to the sources, at least 20,000 handlooms in the two districts had been shut down in the last seven years making thousands of workers unemployed.
However, production in the factories had come down drastically these days. A source close to the district Handloom Board said about 71 per cent of the handloom units in Sirajganj and Pabna districts were shut down due to unabated entrance of India cloths in the country.
Besides, handloom factories with inadequate capital and price hike of raw materials had also contributed to the destruction of the industry.
Sources said floodwater that entered the factory premises damaged most of the looms. As a result, a large number of factories had to be closed down rendering people jobless.
The people have been passing their days in great hardship along with their family members. Some handloom workers said they had been dependent on the traditional industry for their survival.
Some flood-affected families have appealed to the government for rehabilitation but they have so far received no response.