Why UP Assembly Elections Seem to Generate No Enthusiasm Among Bangle Makers

Firozabad: What comes to your mind when you think of majestic crystal chandeliers, beautifully cut glass beer mugs, gorgeous glass lamps and eye-catching figurines? That these are imported from Sweden, Murano or any other European country? No, don't go too far. Firozabad has been manufacturing over 80% of all utility and decoration-based glass products for the country's domestic market for several decades.

It also sends spectacular products to countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

It is no wonder then, that the small industrial town of Uttar Pradesh is also called the glass hub of the country. It is located around 255 kilometres from the national capital of Delhi and an hour away from Agra — the city of Taj Mahal.

Industry-based glass products involve two processes — glass blowing and manual finishing. Glass blowing is a glass-forming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe. Craftsmen transform the molten glass into artefacts.

These artisans also manufacture lampwork glass to produce unique handcrafted products such as paperweights, beads, flower vases, ashtray, designer jugs, etc. They melt glass rods on a flame torch and shape them into beautiful sculptural objects. Their skills are comparable to the best glass artists in the world, if not better.

Old-timers say local artisans acquired the skill from Persian glass artists brought by the Delhi sultanate to impart training of glass lampworking so that the king's needs could be fulfilled locally. Gradually, the art form evolved to become a well-established industry, which now dominates the national and global markets.

The town is also well known for its lovely glass bangles; therefore, it is also called 'Suhag Nagari'. Though the bangles adorn the wrists of women of all ages, religions and statuses, married women wear them across the country as it is a cultural signifier of their marital status.

While factories produce only plain bangles, they are given alluring designs by women at home. A collection of techniques are applied to these beautiful bangles.

BANGLE MAKING

The glass bangle is made with silica sand, which melts at 2,800 degrees Celsius. The industrial furnace installed in the bangle factories of Firozabad has maximum operating temperatures of 1,200 degrees Celsius. Therefore, silica sand is mixed with dense soda ash (sodium nitrate), which reduces its melting point to 1,100 degrees Celsius. Arsenic and sohaga (sodium bicarbonate) are also used for the same.

To strengthen the glass, sodium chloride is mixed with it. Copper oxide, chromium bicarbonate, cadmium sulphide and selenium oxide are added with the mixture for various desired colours of the bangles. For instance, copper oxide is added in the mixture in a certain proportion for turquoise colour, chromium bicarbonate for light green (dhani) colour, chromium bicarbonate and copper oxide in certain quantities for green colour, cadmium sulphide for yellow colour, cadmium sulphide and selenium oxide for red colour, cobalt for the blue colour, manganese oxide and chromium bicarbonate for black colour.

INDUSTRY LOSING GLITTERS

The work at Firozabad's traditional glass industry — which is said to be 200-year-old — has witnessed a huge slump, with the outbreak of three waves of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns, the spread of dengue, hike in prices of raw materials and gas, high Goods and Services Tax (GST) on raw materials. Because of growth in joblessness and the economy going in red, the demand for glass products such as bangles, figurines, toys, lighting and decoration equipment, chandeliers and labware has witnessed a sharp decline.

This has forced almost 30% of factories to pull down shutters, resulting in job loss of its 80,000-odd artisans and labourers. The units which are functioning have reduced production by 15%.

"This cottage industry is supplied natural gas at the highest if compared to the prices of gas supplied to other MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises). Additionally, the rate of the fuel is not fixed but flexible. I keep varying supply to supply. It gives us a tough time while calculating the bangle prices. Sometimes, we sell it in accordance with the gas price of the previous supply. But when the bill comes, we find hiked the price of the gas. It causes us loss," Zaheenuddin Siddiqui, owner of Vinobha Glass Works at Mainpuri Gate, told NewsClick.

He complained that the government does not provide a sufficient quantity of gas required by different units. As a result, the factory owners have to buy RLNG, which is sold at a higher price, to compensate for the difference in gas requirement.

Firozabad consumes around 12-15 lakh cubic metres of gas every day, while the units here have been allotted a quota of 11 lakh cubic metres per day at APM (Administered Pricing Mechanism) prices. When this requirement goes up, the hiked gas demand is compensated with the Regasified Liquified Natural Gas (RLNG), which is costlier. When the two different prices are added, it becomes UPM (Uniform Pricing Mechanism) prices.

He said glass bangles were exempted from the GST, but they have to pay the tax while buying row materials. "So, indirectly, we pay the GST. Since the final product is out of its ambit, we fail to recover it. It means we pay taxes but don't recover them. It makes us suffer losses. It would be good if the government also brings bangles in the GST ambit," he explained.

After the first phase of COVID-19, the Rs 10,000-crore industry was recovering as orders started coming in. But the second lockdown brought the situation back to square one, with the business stopping again.

"At least 30% manufacturing units have been shut. Those operations are functioning in huge loss as the business has gone down by over 50%. The units, which were shutting down, tried to revive themselves by reducing the production by 15%. But they failed. We cannot lower the production by over 15% because the expenditure almost remains the same," he added.

Firozabad was the epicentre of the dengue outbreak in September last year in western Uttar Pradesh. "Following the second wave of COVID-19, the dengue outbreak in the district came as a major blow to the glass industry here," said glass products exporter Mukesh Kumar Bansal, who is treasurer of the All India Glass Manufacturers' Federation, adding that that production was badly affected because the workers were down with fever. The other reason is that representatives of major buyers did not visit the city because of Covid and lockdowns".

The timing of the outbreak was difficult. The manufacturers get most of the orders around September every year from across the country and worldwide. The products are shipped around Diwali and Christmas. He added that of its total turnover of Rs 10,000 crore per annum, around the work orders worth around 2,500 crore are received only during this season. The crisis of workers led to a problematic situation.

Previously, a part of Agra, Firozabad, was accorded the status of a district in 1989 but not much changed on the ground.

The bangle industry continued to flourish until 1996. A sea change was witnessed when Firozabad was included in Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), the area earmarked around Taj Mahal, following the Supreme Court order on a PIL petition on environmental pollution.

The apex court banned the use of coal in industrial units falling within TTZ and directed the use of natural gas as fuel.

With gas becoming an alternative fuel, bottles, decorative items, chandeliers, and other glassware became popular.

PLIGHT OF LABOURERS

Bangle making is labour-intensive. The industry still uses traditional methods. For instance, each bangle has to pass through 80 hands while being made. Perhaps, this is the reason why buyers from across the world come here.

Manufacturing units exploit their labours by making them work for long hours and depriving daily wages and other rights. Around 70% of workers don't even get minimum wages. They work in a highly polluted and dangerous environment.

The workers get Rs 200 per day for working for eight hours. They are grossly underpaid. Exposure to hot air emitted by high-temperature furnaces, blinding brightness of molten glass and inhaling microparticles of silica results in respiratory problems, silicosis, reduced vision, severe dehydration and other diseases," Ramdas Manav, president of the Kaanch Evam Churi Mazdoor Sabha, told NewsClick.

The workers have no other option but to work in dangerous and inhuman conditions because of abject poverty. They have to support the survival of their families.

"While Covid made their situation worse, dengue and closure of factories made it worse. The government should seriously do something about them," he added.

JUST ANOTHER ELECTION

Right from factory owners, traders and workers, there seemed to be no enthusiasm in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state as promises to them remain unfulfilled.

"Firozabad has been left at the mercy of God. There is very little hope for any change here. Political leaders make tall promises, and governments come and go, but nothing happens. Poll promises have no value at all," said PK Jindal, the Glass Industrial Syndicate treasurer.

He referred to public meetings organised in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections wherein Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised that natural gas would be made available on low prices and easy terms.

“However, he forgot his poll promises after forming the government,” he added, adding that “elections are not new to us and bring no change in the status of the industry. We are waiting for a comprehensive plan to save the identity of Firozabad.