The Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society, Cooptex, has alleged that major textile showrooms in the state are violating Centre’s guidelines by selling silk saris woven from power looms.
Alleging that the showrooms were also using fake filigrees and it also said the matter would be brought to the notice of the Textile Ministry and the state government.
C Uma Shankar, Managing Director of Cooptex said the Handloom Reservation Act stipulated that silk saris should be woven only through handlooms, but most showrooms are selling sarees made in power loom. Textile shops sell saris that do not have handloom mark, marked for pure silk or both in many cases.
Alleging that fake filigree was being used, he said genuine filigree would contain 0.6 per cent gold and cost Rs 56.60 per gram. Textured filigree comprising copper would cost
Rs 1.40 per gram and plastic jari would cost 40 paise per gram. “Most saris sold in the showrooms contain textured jari or plastic Jari (filigiree)”, he said.
If showrooms violate norms, then action can be taken only by CBI and the state’s enforcement wing of the Handloom department and consumer fora, he told reporters after a review meeting on Virudhunagar Handloom Mega cluster project of Cooptex.
He said Tamil Nadu was spending Rs 350 crore on purchase of free saris and dhotis, procured from the power loom sector.
Cooptex had suggested that the state release a monthly fund of Rs 35 crore so that handloom weavers also would get regular income. “Cooperative societies are taking looms on contract to achieve the target,” he said.
He said Cooptex would go in for German technology to manufacture non silk saris and planned to sell 10000 silk saris and 45000 non silk saris, priced between Rs 650 to Rs
9,000.