SRIKAKULAM: A prolonged dispute between washermen community and farmers, reportedly over a financial issue, led to imposing of a social boycott on the former at Tadivalasa village in the district. This is the second such case that turned up in the district in the last three months. The first was reported in Penubaka village of Rajam mandal over the management of a local pond.Sources said, the washermen families, compromising 10 out of the 400 households in Tadivalasa, borrowed money apart from their promised annual wages from farmers. One of the washermen families ran off in early March unable to repay the debt of `1.5 lakh and bear the pressure from the creditor.The two communities were having a heated argument ever since. The washermen recently resolved to quit their profession to defend themselves and on the pretext that it won’t be lucrative anymore to eke out a livelihood. Not long, they also denied attending a funeral procession of a farmer, which added fuel to the fire and were ostracized by the farmers. The villagers were instructed not to converse with the washermen or extend any help to them and shall pay about `5,000 as fine.Collector G Venkatrami Reddy, responding to a complaint filed by the washermen, set up a special team led by BC Welfare officials who held talks with both the communities on Wednesday but in vain. Balaram, executive director, BC Welfare said neither of the groups discussed the financial matters during the talks. The washermen were not retracting the decision to quit their profession. Another round of talks will be held on Saturday and police are deployed in the village to avert any untoward situations.
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