Muhammad Mukaram
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Aug 31: Once the state pride, the state owned Arts and Emporium Department is dying down slowly but surely due to government apathy.
The Arts and Emporium Department is on the verge of losing its credibility across India as successive regimes have neglected the department.
However, reliable sources told Early Times that with the decline of tourist arrival here, the functioning of arts and emporium has suffered. "The gap between artisans and emporium is one of the major causes behind its decline," sources said.
They said that the brokers between the artisans and emporium are taking their own benefits from it, which led to the no loss, no profit to the department. "The Government is not taking the department seriously as after being well knowledgeable about the facts that it is declining day by day, the authorities have failed to pay heed over it," sources said.
Admitting that the emporium is on the verge of losing its credibility, Ishtiyaq Ahmad Drabu, Managing Director of Arts and Emporium, said that successive regimes have neglected the emporium. "We have appealed the higher ups several times to look into the matter but unfortunately nothing has been done in this regard," Drabu said.
Drabu told Early Times that they are not getting even a single penny from the government, adding, "Since the time I have assumed the charge of MD, we have not received even a single penny from the government. I believe that if there will be some financial help from the Government the Department would rise again."
"The tourist arrival in the state is also declining with every passing year and with the same, the emporium has lost the source of revenue as the tourists are its main source of revenue," he said.
"Government should announce almost 25 crores for this emporium as having 21 branches throughout the country, the amount is not satisfactory but the thing is we will utilize it on products, which will give a good revenue to the state exchequer," he said, adding that he is not asking government to provide money to him but let them utilize the money on their own.
"As being a head of the emporium, I want to see it on sky like it was earlier. The brokers who are providing us products are the main beneficiaries as the margin they putting on the product is too high and un affordable for our customers," he said, adding that the government should provide them money so that they can purchase a product for their showroom, which would be customer friendly.
Pertinently, in 2104, the total production of Papier Machie was Rs 141.24 crore while its export declined by almost Rs 70 crore as only Rs 39.96 crore out of the mentioned production were exported.
"The production and export of woollen shawls declined in the previous year too as in 2013, the production and woollen shawls were Rs 656.3 but in 2014, it has decreased by almost Rs 25 crore as its production in 2014 was only Rs 631.2. The export too goes slight from Rs 620.02 crore in 2013 to Rs 579.72 crore in 2014," reports published in media said.
Nonetheless, the carpet is the only material, which was increased in 2014 as compared to 2013. |
