Dispur moves to enforce ban on sale of powerloom gamosa and 4 other items

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The state government has taken a strong step for enforcing a complete ban on the manufacture with powerlooms of certain traditional handloom textiles, as well as their sale in the state.

The Director of the Handloom & Textiles has issued a public notice in this regard and warned textile manufacturers and sellers of the state that they will face penal action if they either manufacture or sell powerloom-produced mekhela chador, gamosa, dokhona, danka and khamlet.

The public notice also asked customers not to buy these five items if they are manufactured with powerlooms and further urged the public to inform the local departmental officials if they have information about sale of these items by any shop or individual.

The public notice mentioned the Centre's Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985 bans the manufacture with powerlooms of 11 articles, as well as their sale, and these have been reserved for exclusive manufacture by handlooms. These 11 items include Assam's mekhela chador, gamosa, dokhona, danka and khamlet.

Meanwhile, the Sualkuchi Paat Shilpa Unnayan Samity has welcomed the state government's move.

Talking to The Sentinel, the organization's secretary, Dr Nihar Ranjan Kalita said that there are very few powerloom units in the state which produce these five items. The problem is that manufacturers from outside the state are flooding the state with powerloom-produced mekhela chador, gamosa etc., Kalita said.

As such, he urged the government to check the inflow of such protected items from outside the state and carry out routine inspections of the markets to prevent traders from stocking these items. If anyone is producing these five items with powerlooms in the state, then strict action should be taken against such persons, Kalita added.

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