Bamboo Scarcity Halted Earning of Skilled Workers
Odishabarta
Paralakhemundi: Once upon a time bamboo was a huge product in Gajapati district. On Saturday weekly market at Paralakhemundi & before Margashira of Odia month when Laxmi Puja at various homes started as per rituals particularly among Odia families which called ‘Mana basa Gurubar’, plenty of bamboo processed products sold at various streets by those bamboo craft sellers. But now this seems almost blank & customers use to search anywhere where it is available.In all weekly market of 7 blocks those bamboo processed item was sold in huge quantities & those sellers earned handsome amount. But now a days due to lack of inputs from forest department nor proper planning to encourage those bamboo weavers missing.
At the outskirt of Khajuripada named Naktipada or called Tenklasahi & few at Badapada those Tenkla community group now on cross hands of their earning. Various attractive products they used to sale during 1990s, but gradually raw materials of bamboo is now missing. Those families use to walk long 10 to 15 kms in search of bamboo now which is now a race rather exercises to revive their income. Usually in every home mats from bamboo they use to sleep till now even instead of using cloths or bedsheets. Even on severe winter they sleep on that mats. For marriage they earlier got order on various bamboo products & used to supply those needed families. That even vanished.Now few of them raced towards migration due to squeezed on bamboo products selling. In those 2 streets of Tankla colony 150 families are living. Their situation is on dire straits on income from bamboo. Let forest department feels their worse conditions & revive more on bamboo farm at nearest forest area to support their handful income saying Tankla community members.
