The saree distribution event in Telangana on Monday witnessed protests by women beneficiaries who alleged that poor quality Bathukamma sarees were distributed to them.
Adilabad and neighbouring districts saw disturbances at many places as women protested being ‘gifted’ cheap and low quality sarees.
“We have lost a day’s wage of ₹150 to receive this ₹ 50 piece of cloth,” lamented Gunta Laxmi, a beneficiary from Emaikunta village in Indervelli mandal in Adilabad district.
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A few sarees were burnt at Bad Ka Mahalla in Adilabad town and at Emaikunta in Adilabad district. In the Agency villages like Pardhanguda in Indervelli mandal, Adivasi women rued the fact that they were given regular sarees, instead of
“These sarees have no use for us,” said Mesram Jangubai, an elderly tribal woman. Some others who received damaged sarees complained to Indervelli Tahsildar Shivraj.
Women gathered at respective venues of saree distribution earlier than scheduled hoping to get good quality saree as was perceived to have been promised by the government.
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“We thought we would get handloom saree but this is something different,” observed Are Laxmavva.
In Nirmal, Housing Minister A. Indrakaran Reddy revealed that the sarees were purchased from Surat as the weaving work could not be completed.
In Adilabad, Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna started the saree distribution programme.
Novel protest
Karimnagar Special Correspondent adds: Even as the distribution of sarees was progressing in various parts of erstwhile Karimnagar district smoothly, there were protests from some sections of womenfolk.
The womenfolk in the fertile-rich Jagtial district set fire to sarees in Chelgal and Laxmipur villages.
In Jagtial town too, women protested over the poor quality sarees, that too measuring only six meters instead of nine meters.
In Yusufnagar of Korutla mandal, women returned the sarees to the authorities after seeing the quality.
In Rajanna-Sircilla district, women played Bathukamma by placing them in front of MPDO office in Konaraopeta mandal.
In Peddapalli district, women staged protest at Ramagundam Sector-1 school.
They asked if Nizamabad MP Kavitha would wear such sarees.
In Peddapalli town, women set fire to the vinyl posters of the TRS at Kaman crossroads.
Police complaint
Khammam/ Bhadradri-Kothagudem Special Correspondent writes: The mammoth drive to distribute over 7.5 lakh sarees to the eligible poor women began in both Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts.
The massive exercise, however, was marred by protests by several aggrieved women, who set ablaze the sarees in front of a few distribution centres by branding them as “sub-standard” in Penuballi, Tekulapalli and some other places in both the districts.
A group of women staged a demonstration in front of the designated distribution centre in the mandal headquarters town of Penuballi soon after receiving the sarees from the special counters on production of tokens issued based on their white ration cards.
The angry women burnt the sarees and shouted slogans alleging that “inferior quality” silk sarees were handed over to them instead of the “much-publicised” handloom sarees.
The demonstrators alleged that “cheap sarees of substandard quality” were purchased in bulk from Gujarat.
The mandal revenue officials lodged a complaint with the V M Banjara police against the protesters charging them with burning the sarees on the roadside and creating obstruction to the vehicular movement.
Shortage of sarees
The distribution of sarees could not commence in various divisions under the Khammam Municipal Corporation limits due to apparent shortage of sarees, sources said.
Earlier in the day, Minister for Roads and Buildings T Nageswara Rao participated in saree distribution programme at Maddulapalli in Khammam rural mandal. Khammam Meember of Parliament P Srinivas Reddy and others were present.
In Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, Kothagudem legislator J. Venkat Rao distributed sarees to the poor women in various localities in Kothagudem and Palvancha municipal towns as well as in several villages in Chunchupalli, Lakshmidevipalli and Sujathnagar mandals.
(With inputs from S. Harpal Singh, K.M. Dayashankar & P. Sridhar)