GULBARGA: The failure of the Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation to place orders with the weavers of handloom material has forced many families of weavers to migrate to Inchalkaranji and other parts of Maharashtra in search of livelihood.

Gulbarga District Handloom Weavers' Association president Chandrasekhar Hiremath said there were nearly 15,000 people in handloom weaving in Gulbarga district alone. These people entirely depended on supplies of "beams" (the weaving threads bundled in the long beams) and other raw material, but the production of beams at Banahatti in Bijapur district and at Ranebennur in Haveri district was not sufficient to cater to the needs of weavers in north Karnataka region.

As against the requirement of 8,000 beams a month to keep 4,085 looms in the district running, the corporation received only about 500 beams. The weavers, who did not know any other skill, were forced to migrate to looms in Maharashtra. Mr. Hiremath said a majority of the handloom weavers and looms were located in Shahapur, which had 919 looms working, followed by 842 looms in Yadgir taluk, 815 looms in Aland taluk bordering Maharashtra and 703 in Surpur taluk

Mr. Hiremath, who has been leading an agitation demanding the establishment of the "sizing unit", which produces beams to meet the demand of handloom weavers in Gulbarga district, said the corporation had agreed to establish the sizing unit in Gulbarga and asked a private consultant to prepare an estimate. He said the board meeting of the corporation in Bangalore on October 11 might take a decision on the issue. But if the corporation does not take a decision before October 27 on setting up a sizing unit in Gulbarga, Mr. Hiremath said the weavers would go on indefinite fast.

Meanwhile, the corporation has come out with an action plan for the development of handlooms in the most backward taluks as per the recommendations of the High Power Committee for Redressal of the Regional Imbalances.

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