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| Orders banning production of machine made Pashmina Shawls kept in cold storage | | Lakhs of families suffer due to indifference of successive governments | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Apr 2 : Over the years successive governments in the state have failed to implement the cabinet decisions or decisions taken by different departments in letter and spirit. The failure to get the decisions implemented proves that many a slip between cup and the lip.
Same has happened with the fate of Pashmina weavers despite the fact that state government has imposed a ban on production of machine made shawls. Although the concerned department has issued an order in this regard but the order was never implemented in letter and spirit.
Then Director Industries and Commerce, Mohammad Saleem Beigh issued an order seeking a ban on the registration of units for machine spinning of Pashmina. Despite the directions that stern action would be taken against the violators, the order was never implemented and as such the violators got a shot in their arm. "The Industries and Commerce Department has been receiving representations from Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other Handicraft organizations/individuals demanding that Industries and Commerce Department must take steps to protect the interests of Pashmina hand spinning industry which provides employment to a very large number of women in the state," wrote Beigh in the order under order number JDDK/Wool/2453-63. The order further writes, "These representations have been examined and it is hereby ordered that General Managers of District Industries Centre shall not register any unit for machine spinning of Pashmina. Any spinning mill which may have sought inclusion of pashmina spinning on machines as an item for production is hereby debarred from availing any of the benefits of any incentive on this account."
As no action whatsoever was taken against the people operating machines for spinning of Pashmina, the Pashmina weavers once again knocked at the doors of the concerned department for seeking relief.
Following this in 2007 then Director Industries and Commerce Department, R A Quadri issued order for complete ban on use of machines for dehairing of raw pashmina wool. "I wish to inform you the Secretary, J & K Legislative Assembly Srinagar has already been given assurance by the Administrative Department (Industries & Commerce Department) to the legislation that the registration of dehairing machines has already been banned. This needs to be implemented in letter and spirit," wrote Quadri in the order 75-76/2007 dated 18-06-2007.
The order further wrote that the Directorate would further recommend that Industries and Commerce Department need to take immediate measures for imposition of ban on use of machines for dehairing of raw pashmina wool throughout the state and also impose ban on registration of machine embroidering units as this has affected the livelihood of more than one lakh people who are involved in hand embroidery in the state as machine embroidery is faked to consumers as handmade embroidery.
Despite the issuance of the orders the owners of dehairing machines are ruling the roost with no action taken against them. Given the present situation there are chances that the Pashmina weavers would call it a day and then switch to menial jobs in order to make the two ends meet. |
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