Puri (Odisha): As many as 367 families supplying different pottery items to Sri Jagannath temple, Puri, are staring at a bleak future sans lack of adequate support and patronisation by the temple administration.
They find it now difficult to stick to their traditional occupation as it has completely been non-remunerative. The profit of various items after their cost of production is so minimal that a person engaged in the work does not get more than Rs 2,000 a month which is a paltry sum to survive.
According to noted Jagganath culture expert Biswajit Mishra, the potters who normally source the earth from far-off places like Chandanpur and Sakhigopal are paying through their noses for transportation cost.
For one tractor-load of earth, they have to cough up between Rs 800 to Rs 1,000. And for burning of the earthen pots for giving the final shapes, they procure firewood worth around Rs 800.
“A family of five members earn around Rs 10,000 profit by selling pottery items made from one tractor-load of earth. It means that each member of the family earns around Rs 2,000 only per month. How can a person survive on a paltry sum of Rs 2,000?” questioned Mr Mishra.
Previously, the expert Mr Mishra said, Sri Jagannath Temple had given 144 acres of agricultural land to the 367 families to eke out their living.
However, those lands are now under the forcible possession of land mafia. The potter families cannot cultivate those lands as they are yet to be vested with the titles of those lands in their names.
Saroj Behera, president of Puri District Kumbhakar (Potter), said his organisation has drawn the attention of the state government and Sri Jagannath Temple administration to the deplorable conditions of the community and prayed for remedial measures.
