7 months ago
1
The potters of Manamadurai, known for their expertise successful shaping clay pots and utensils, are struggling to get suitable clay for their enactment owed to the caller rules for extracting clay.
The caller strategy successful signifier for the past 2 years restricting potters to extract clay from waterbodies situated wrong their taluk bounds has constricted their quality to bring retired prime pots and utensils, accidental disquieted potters.
C. Nagalingam, treasurer, Manamadurai Pottery Workers Co-operative Cottage Industrial Society, said, successful the erstwhile government, the process of obtaining support and locating a suitable waterbody was precise simple.
“The process was conscionable to taxable a written missive and our potter’s recognition paper to the respective taluk office. The missive would past beryllium forwarded to the District Collector for last approval,” helium added.
The waterbodies that would beryllium selected by the potters based connected the prime and texture of the clay would beryllium assessed by the authorities for approval, helium noted.
The process, which was erstwhile simple, during the existent authorities was past made a spot much analyzable by introducing the Department of Mines and Geology successful the support process, helium said.
“With this introduction, our prime was besides constricted to the waterbodies published lone successful the gazette,” helium added.
Mr. Nagalingam noted that the latest norm which was changed 2 years backmost has further constricted their choices of waterbodies arsenic lone those situated wrong the applicant’s taluk.
“When the exertion is uploaded connected the authorities website, based connected the applicant’s location, the database of waterbodies for enactment is narrowed down to the peculiar taluk,” helium added.
If the prime was based connected the government’s selection, however would the potters cognize whether the clay would beryllium suitable for them, helium questioned.
“Due to this, the clay taken by astir of the potters successful the authorities allowed waterbodies are unsuitable for use,” helium stated.
Though astir of them were capable to negociate their pottery making with past year’s extraction, the pursuing years would beryllium challenging if the rules were not changed by the State government, helium said.
Shanmugam, a potter based successful Manamadurai, said, astir 300 to 400 families successful Manamadurai unsocial were babelike connected the pottery business.
“Though galore person quit, the remaining ones are moving hard time and nighttime to conscionable their household needs. In this situation, instauration of caller rules and regularisation successful the pretext of benefitting potters, is lone affecting them,” helium expressed with concern.
As the Manamadurai pottery has been recognised with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, the alteration successful the texture of the clay and prime would lone extremity up affecting the merchandise made by the potters, helium observed.
