A powerloom weaver committed suicide by hanging to the ceiling of his rented house in Indiranagar in Sircilla on Thursday, reportedly owing to power cut to powerlooms as he failed to get work.
Reports reaching here said that the weaver, Ch. Laxminarsaiah (55), was unable to secure work on the powerlooms for the last three days as power supply was stopped. This upset him as he had to clear a huge debt of Rs. 2 lakh he had raised six months ago to perform the marriage of his daughter. He had often expressed concern over clearing the debts to his wife Indira, who runs the family by rolling beedis. He had a daughter and two sons.
Upset over the way the erratic power supply was indirectly responsible for Laxminarsaiah’s suicide, powerloom weavers and leaders of various political parties staged a massive dharna in Sircilla on Thursday. They flayed the State government for imposing heavy power cuts affecting their employment opportunities.
TDP leaders alleged that the State government was responsible for the death of Laxminarsaiah.
Meanwhile, a TDP delegation led by legislator Errabelli Dayakara Rao, Mandava Venkateshwara Rao, Ch. Vijaya Ramana Rao, L. Ramana, R. Prakash Reddy, Mahender Reddy, Jaipal Yadav, A. Narsa Reddy and others, visited Sircilla and consoled the bereaved weaver’s family and handed over a sum of Rs. 15,000 for funeral expenses.
Demanding that the government provide ex gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to the bereaved family, TDP leaders assured they would provide financial assistance of Rs. 1 lakh .
DRO’s appeal
On the other hand, DRO J. Sudhakhar Rao and Sircilla RDO Sunanda had also consoled the bereaved family and handed over Rs. 5,000 to meet the funeral expenses on behalf of the National Family Benefit programme.
