Palamu potters urge CM to revive Mati Kala Board

Daltonganj: Potters in Palamu have urged chief minister Hemant Soren to revive the Mati Kala Board which was disbanded soon after the change of guard in the state in 2019.
The board was set up during the tenure of the Raghubar Das government in 2014-19 to promote pottery and provide markets to potters in the state. However, the board was dissolved by the Soren government in 2020 and never reconstituted after that.
Avinash Dev, who belongs to the potter community called Prajapati, said, "Our potters and the trade are suffering. There is no board for them. We want this government to revive the Mati Kala Board. Pottery has to be a mechanised affair. But it is still manual for several potters as they cannot afford chargeable electricity connections for their wheels. There were several welfare schemes for potters under the board.”
An electricity official not competent to speak to the press, said, "Electric pottery wheel comes under industry and hence consumption of electricity is chargeable at industry rate and it eats into the profit of a potter." Dev added, “Today people are quite conscious about clay. Farmers do not allow digging their fields for clay. They charge big money for it making it difficult for poor potters."
A tractor load of the clay which used to cost below 1,000 a year ago is now priced at 1,700-1,800. He said earthen kulhars (cups) can easily replace plastic or paper cups at bus stands or railway stations tea stalls but for lack of campaign and poor marketing these cups are a piece of neglect. “Had there been a dedicated body for us, the situation could have improved for scores of potters in the state,” he said.