A team of Handloom Department from the Government of India arrived at Bargarh and visited different villages to inquire into the allegation of duplication and imitation Sambalpur saree in market.
The technique used in making Sambalpuri saree is only tie and dye. But in recent days, printed sarees exactly imitating Sambalpuri ones flooded in the market that put the traditional weavers to unbearable loss. The result being, they are not only leading a miserable life but also some of them are leaving the traditional profession of weaving.
To get a solution for it, two enforcement officers, SV Aramugam and Binay Kumar, from the handloom department went to Tope village of the district and had direct interaction with the weavers.
It needs to be mentioned here that during the visit of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bargarh, a weavers’ association apprised the Prime Minister of their grievance and the problems they faced due to the imitation. They also gave a memorandum to Modi.
Feeling the gravity of the matter, different departments related to textile swung into action and sent an enforcement team to Bargarh to have direct knowledge of the problem.
Bargarh MP Dr Pravas Singh also raised the issue in the floor of the Parliament. State Handloom Minister Snehangini Chhuria also raised the problem during the meeting of the handloom and handicraft ministers of all the States in the national capital and also specially apprised Union Minister Santosh Gangwar.
Sambalpuri saree has been accorded ‘global indicator’ status and also got handloom mark. In spite of that, some manufacturers of southern theevery low cost in the market and even in Odisha.
Many a time, the Handloom Minister of the State and also Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to the concerned department in Centre including the Prime Minister regarding the problem and unethical business practice. The team will also visit different other districts of the State where handloom sarees are manufactured, sources said.