17 August,2009 09:57 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
With medical masks in the city in short supply, enterprising tailors manufacture 'desi' cotton masks to cash in on the demand
Anil Hadel, who owns an inconspicuous tailoring shop in Sadashiv Peth named Sai Men's Wear, has not stitched anything in the last two days other than the 2,000-odd masks for Punekars mindful of the swine flu pandemic.u00a0
His 4"x7" desi cotton masks are priced at Rs 20 and Rs 30 depending on whether they are single-fold or
triple-fold.
"Private hospitals are ordering these masks. Youngsters prefer them because they are colourful, and look so much better than the ones being sold at medical stores.
"What's more, they can be reused after you have washed them with a detergent and some disinfectant," said Hadel.
Students' idea
Hedal decided to make cloth masks after some young college students approached him with the idea.
"Since then, all my regular work has taken a back seat. I am busy on my sewing machine, making colourful masks by the dozen. Initially, I would take 15 minutes to make a mask, now I take just five minutes," he said.
Interestingly, Hadel is not the only tailor in town who makes these masks. Tailors Vyankat Jagdale, Ashok Pawar and Mohan Sutar from Shanivar Peth also churn out colourful masks for Punekars.
Pratibha Deshpande, a resident of Chinchwad who has ordered some masks, said some Ganesh mandals have also placed bulk orders for over a thousand cotton masks to be distributed in the area. "The quality of these masks is quite good. Many tailors in our area have started selling them," she added. Dr Dilip Sarda, president, Indian Medical Association, Pune, said the cotton masks are a good idea if they cover the nose and mouth up to the chin. "If this condition is fulfilled, and if they are washed thoroughly every day, I will certainly recommend them. I do feel that the price of the mask should be more reasonable. However, there is no need for healthy people to wear masks,"u00a0 said Sarda.
Shortage of masks
Mahendra Pitalia, coordinator, Chemist Association of Pune District, said that the demand for masks has increased and there is clearly a shortfall. "We have sold about 25 lakh simple disposable masks in Pune in the last six days. People want to buy the expensive N-95 mask, which continues to be in shortsupply. We have placed an order of 25,000 N-95 masks from China, which should be available soon," he said.
