Srinagar, May 18: At a time when government is blowing trumpet of attracting tourists to old City, the Shaher-e-Khaas through measures like start of river cruise on Jhelum and giving facelift to the river banks, this small cluster of artisans associated with traditional woodcarving, craves for customers on the river banks with no proper Ghat or any other gateway.
 On the right banks of Jhelum in Malik Sahib area of densely populated Safakadal, a dozen odd small units are associated with the woodcarving craft, which provides livelihood to scores of people who work daylong in the wooden sheds.
 But due to lack of proper access, barely any of them is able to showcase his creations directly to the clientele. Most of them make products like dining tables, sofas and beds for dealers or commission agents.
 A narrow dingy lane leads to this wood cluster while there’s no proper riverside access though there’s ample space for the same. The cluster is ideally located on the banks where a traditional Devri stone Ghat could be constructed.
 Prominent expert of tourism and heritage, Muhammad Saleem Beg opines that a proper riverside access to such spots could boost business prospects. “Given the commencement of river transport, which cruises along such places, if Ghats are properly constructed, the motorboats can take halts so that visitors get time to venture around and this will ultimately improve business activities in Shaher-e-Khaas,” Beg, who happens to be former Director General Tourism, told Greater Kashmir.
 But for people like Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, who runs a small woodcarving unit on the Malik Sahib banks, the place is yet to make to the tourist map.
 “If this cluster of ours gets a proper riverside access, we can definitely reap benefits of river transport,” Bhat who is associated with his family trait of his since childhood told Greater Kashmir.
 Similar were the views of Mushtaq Ahmed, who has some three decades of woodcarving experience to his credit.
 “We have hardly seen clients coming to us face-to-face due to lack of proper accessibility… and this is why our business mostly depends on agents who take a lions share out of our hard work,” said another woodcarver.
 Ironically, this riverside cluster is craving for life at a time when the Chief Secretary Madhav Lal aspires to uplift the artisans through cluster development.
 Local MLA Mubarak Gul who also happens to be the Advisor to the Chief Minister said the artisans should apprize him about the issue and he would get the cluster “properly beautified along with the construction Devri Stone carved Ghat.”

Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 19 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 IST