Shivsena activists smash yarn merchant's shop in Inchalkaranji

In a current dispute and confrontation between powerloom owners and yarn merchants at Inchalkaranji, better known as Manchester of Maharashtra, Shivsena activists intervened on behalf of powerloom owners and while questioning about hike in yarn prices, they smashed shop-section of 'Priti Sales Corporation' owned by yarn merchant Pawan Bhageria and destroyed furniture and glass windows on Monday.

While lodging complaint to police, yarn merchants have decided to close their transactions on Tuesday in protest against the aggressive action.

Powerlooms are hard-hit due to exorbitant hike in yarn rates which are alleged to be artificially triggered by way of hoarding and undisclosed stocks maintained by yarn merchants. Being perturbed by the situation the powerloom association has launched an agitation against the yarn merchants with demand that rates of yarn should be reduced and yarn stocks should be brought in the market in order to remove artificial shortage and consequent price hike of yarn.

Even after the intervention by the deputy collector and decision to maintain yarn prices stable, the concerned merchant hiked the prices which resulted in commotion by both the powerlooms owners and Shivsena activists.

Both the power looms owners association and Shivsena activists have threatened that if action is not taken immediately either by yarn merchants or enforced by the concerned government department, then 'burn the yarn' agitation will be launched.

It is also demanded that state government should confiscate the undisclosed stocks and take action against yarn merchants who are selling yarn without bills and importing yarn without any record thereby avoiding octroi and other government's statutory charges.

In a meeting of yarn merchants association (YMA) presided over by its president Ghanashyam Totala, it is decided to protest against the aggressive action by both the powerloom owners and Shivsena activist and keep the transactions closed on Tuesday, besides demanding action by police and government against aggressive actions and disturbance of the law and order in the cloth and yarn market.

When asked about the allegation of artificial price hike and unbilled sales of yarn, Arunkumar Goenka, director and former president of YMA disclosed that shortage of raw cotton is being faced by spinning mills thereby increasing cost of production of yarn.

The situation is created because despite good crop of cotton, 110 lakhs bales of raw cotton are exported due to liberalization policy accepted by the Union government. Again nobody among the 350 members of YMA is selling yarn without bills. "We condemn such illegal operations and let government take action against those who are selling yarn without bills," said Goenka.