Powerloom gamosas seized in Sivasagar

FROM ACORRESPONDENT

SIVASAGAR, April 10: Just a few days ahead of Rongali Bihu, officials of the Sivasagar district administration  seized 1099 pieces of powerloom-made gamosas from five retail shops here recently.

Sources said these gamosas have been manufactured in powerlooms in other states which is a violation of the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985.

Gamosa is a "reserved article" to be exclusively woven in handlooms and production of the same by powerlooms would attract pelty, including imprisonment under Section 10 of the act.

A team of  District administration officials led by Circle Officer Tapan Gohain with Sivasagar police and the officials of the State Handloom and Textile department raided the shops and seized the powerloom gamosas.     

The state commissioner of taxes has recently issued a circular whereby all dealers dealing with buying and selling of gamosas across the state are required to submit a declaration to the authorities concerned that they do not deal with any gamosa other than those produced by handlooms in violation of relevant provisions of Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985.

In 2013, local artisans and traders of Sualkuchi, the state's silk village, clashed with police while protesting against the sale of Barasi silk in the me of Assam silk by a section of wholesalers across the state. Indefinite curfew had to be clamped on the village to control the situation. The handloom department had conducted raids on different shops and seized Barasi silk items that were being sold as Assam silk.