Tirupur: A 46-year-old powerloom unit owner was booked on charges of illegally manufacturing towels reserved for handloom sector near Uthukuli here on Wednesday. C Ravichandran, of Koonampatty, who runs a powerloom unit at Palagoundampalayam, was booked under the Handloom (reservation of article for production) Act, 1985, based on a complaint lodged by enforcement wing of the handloom department.It is to be noted that 11 textile varieties such as saree, dhoti, towel/gamcha/angavastram, lungi, jamakkalam/durry, dress materials, barrack blanket, khes/bedsheet/bedcover/counterpane, kamblies/shawl/loi/muffler, woollen tweed, chaddar, and mekhala/phanek should be manufactured only in handlooms.“If these items are manufactured by powerloom units, they could be produced at a cost 100% lower than what it takes in handloom units. So, powerlooom units could easily capture the market as the people will obviously go in for cheaper products,” said a senior handloom department official.He said the handloom reservation Act was brought in to safeguard the livelihood of handloom operators. The implementing authority of the act in the state is enforcement wing of the handloom department.A handloom society representative said the Act was enacted after they stressed on the need to protect their livelihood. “Many of the reserved varieties are rampantly manufactured by powerloom operators. We don’t know much about the act, other than general details. So, we can’t find out violators often. The handloom department hasn’t created awareness about the Act among us.”He said they often hesitate to lodge complaints against the violators for fear of inviting their enmity. “But at the end of the day, it’s handloom department’s duty to curtail violation. Otherwise, we will continue to be affected. There is a need for collective effort in this front.”Another senior handloom department official said they always conduct field inspections at regular intervals and act on complaints raised by handloom units, without any fail.In the case of Ravichandran, he could be fined Rs 5,000 per powerloom machine or imprisoned for six months, or both, if found guilty.

Stay updated with all the Coimbatore Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.