Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh): It was once famous for its Banarasi sarees. Now Mubarakpur in Uttar Pradesh has got a new identity as a coronavirus hotspot. It has made lives very difficult for the town’s weavers and their families.
Plight of weavers
Looms here have been shut since March 22 to check the spread of coronavirus. However, after COVID-19 positive cases were found April 11 in Chaksikathi locality 11, the entire town has been sealed, a weaver said.
The weavers have been left with no means to earn a livelihood. Thousands of them are scraping the bottom of the barrel as their meagre savings have almost exhausted.
Mubarakpur residents in trouble
“Fights are increasing as people are getting frustrated. Businessmen are taking sarees from us without paying. They are happy but weavers are not,” Javed, a local weaver, said in a video post recently. He posted the video on social media to seek help from the government.
In the 2:45 minute video, Javed complained that the weavers were sitting idle. They were becoming financially weak with each passing day. He said the local MLA Shah Alam has approached District Magistrate NP Singh for help.
Official help promised
The MLA has sent a list of 27,000 weavers who need assistance. Acting on it the the DM held a meeting with weavers’ committees. After that he directed that an assistance of Rs 1,000 be given to each weaver whose name figures in the list.
“We have met the locals and public representatives. As Mubarakpur area is sealed, we are ensuring the people there do not have any problems. We are giving relief to them,” Singh informed. The weavers, however, are still awaiting the help and praying for their conditions to improve.
Massod Akhtar, another weaver said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had put the industry under ‘one district, one product’ scheme. However due to the outbreak of coronavirus financial assistance hasn’t been forthcoming.
Agencies