Guwahati, April 9: The All Assam Lawyers’ Association (AALA) today asked for enactment of a new legislation to prevent sale of Benarasi silk garments in the name of Assam silk which led to violent clashes between local weavers and security forces recently.

The association said it would offer legal advice to the state government for framing a proper legislation.

“We are exploring all legal options to ensure a total ban on sale of silk garments from Varanasi by falsely claiming it as Assam silk,” the general secretary of the association, Sailendra Das, said.

According to Das, they will offer legal advice to the state government for enactment of the new act.

“At present, there is no law that provides penalty for adulteration of Assam silk. By taking advantage of it, a section of unscrupulous traders are duping consumers by selling Benarasi silk garments as those made of Assam silk,” he said.

The association made the demand after its 10-member delegation visited Sualkuchi to get a first hand experience of the problems faced by the weavers.

Das said that in line with Assam tea and muga silk, the pat (mulberry) silk of Assam should also be registered with the Geographical Indications (GI) registry to safeguard the interest of the weavers of the state. Goods with GI tags are protected under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Mysore silk in Karnataka has taken GI protection for protection of Mysore silk.

Eight persons were injured in police action on protesters after they set bales of Benarasi silk on fire.

Sualkuchi was put under curfew for the next two days.

Local weavers had been alleging that a section of traders and wholesalers import the machine-made Benarasi silk cloth, which is cheaper than local silk, and sell them in the name of Assam silk, thereby affecting the local industry.

More than 25,000 people of Sualkuchi are engaged in the weaving industry. Sualkuchi’s 18,000 looms produce about 35 lakh linear metres of handwoven silk fabrics worth about Rs 100 crore every year.

About 70 per cent of this silk ends up as mekhela-chador, 20 per cent as saris and 10 per cent as jainsem, the traditional dress of Khasi women of Meghalaya, and the gale of the Adi tribals of Arunachal Pradesh.

The president of the lawyers’ association, Rohini Das, said that they may consider filing a writ petition in Gauhati High Court seeking its intervention to safeguard Assam silk if the government declines to frame a new law.

Das said that a strong law is needed not only to protect Assam silk but also cottage industries such as brass and bell-metal products which are unique to the state.

Members of AASU took out cycle rallies in different parts of the state today to press the demand for revival of local industry including Sualkuchi silk trade.