Srinagar, Sep 22: Minister for Industries and Commerce, Surjit Singh Slathia today inaugurated Rs 6 crore Common Facility Centre (CFC) at Sether, Bijbehara in south Kashmir.
 The CFC shall promote of Cricket Bat Manufacturing Industry in the state on modern lines.
 The centre would provide cleft seasoning facility to the bat manufacturers wherein clefts could be dried in just 15 days, which otherwise would take about one year.
 Ten wood seasoning chambers of the CFC were commissioned today while another 10 chambers would be completed within a month raising a capacity to season as much as 20,000 bat clefts at a time.
 Speaking on the occasion, Salathia said the government endeavours to promote congenial industrial culture in the state particularly in Kashmir division.
 He said the industries sector only has a capacity to provide better employment opportunities to a large number of youth. However, he urged for maintaining peace adding that industrialization was subservient to peace.
 “Unless there is peace, investment would not come,” Salathia maintained.
 He said CFC shall run in association with the Process Cum Product Development Centre, Meerut.
 He said government has a plan to establish fifty cleft seasoning chambers in the CFC which shall improve the quality of bat cleft to international standard and would also promote export of willow bats.
 The CFC shall also provide marketing facility and training for manufacturing high standard bats, the Minister added.
 He, according to an official statement, said a separate power receiving station has been sanctioned for energy back-up to the CFC.
 Salathia announced that the Cricket Bat Manufacturing Units which are getting affected due to road widening of Srinagar-Jammu Highway shall be properly rehabilitated on priority.
 The minister directed the Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad (Anantnag) to process the case in this regard.
 He instructed the experts installing the seasoning chambers in the CFC to ensure regular monitoring of the machinery for its 100 per cent success.
 He also asked the industrialists to take maximum benefit from the facility as it would ensure better remuneration to their product at national and international levels.
 Saying that CFC is a public property, Salathia asked the people to assist the industries department in its proper upkeep with social responsibility.
 The Director Industries said the CFC shall be first of its kind in Asia.
 He said Rs 5.50 crore has been spent on the project so far.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 IST