The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : A black Dasara for weavers

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Saturday, Oct 11, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

A black Dasara for weavers

Rajulapudi Srinivas

MANUBOLU (Nellore Dt.): The claims of the government on taking steps to save weavers from their crisis notwithstanding, the spate of suicides continue in the district.

Five weavers reportedly committed suicide due to debts and other problems in Manubolu mandal, about 30 kms away from the district headquarter in less than a week. A pal of gloom descended on the village with the suicide pact of Talla Venkateswarlu and his family members in Kodanda Ramapuram area on Thursday.

Struggle for existence

“It is a black day for us and we did not celebrate Dasara. Many families are struggling hard to have two meals a day,” say some villagers. The police handed over the bodies of Venkateswarlu, his wife Varalakshmi and daughters – Venkata Subbamma and Pushpa alias Sandhya.

Varalakshmi’s brother, Subbaiah and the kin of the bereaved family performed the final rites. The couple had no sons.

Their elder daughter Venkata Subbamma is a divorcee and younger daughter Sandhya too is staying with her parents with her 11-month-old daughter Hemasri as her husband Sudhakar deserted her due to family disputes.

Panic in village

Cases on charges of harassment that forced the family to take to the extreme step had been registered against Sandhya’s husband Sudhakar and four other family members.

“Suicides are creating panic as another handloom weaver T. Sudhakar (40) allegedly committed suicide by jumping in Penna river unable to bear the burden of debts on October 2,” said a weaver Rama Rao alleging that the government failed to stop the spate of suicides as well as starvation deaths of weavers.

According to a resident Mahalakshmi, about 170 families dependant on weaving were facing financial distress due to rise in price of yarn, decreased demand and absence of remunerative price for the product.

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Andhra Pradesh