A delegation of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Thursday held an interactive meeting with the director Craft Development Institute (CDI), Zubair Ahmad and professor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Sarfaraz Ahmad Wani.
According to a statement, members belonging to handicraftsand handloom highlighted the problems related to the customs and use ofoutdated technology for testing of Kashmiri Pashmina Shawls.
They expressed concern about the dwindling state of Kashmirhandicrafts and the miseries that handicraft artisans are going through overthe years. “The role and importance of the handicrafts sector in Kashmireconomics, as always has been commendable. Appreciating its will and resiliencethey reiterated and demanded the State and Central Government should comeforward for the survival of artisans be it Pashmina Shawl weavers or Tradersand rescue them from losses which have occurred due to detaining ofconsignments at Delhi customs on the pretext of testing,” the statement read.
They urged the state government to ensure the use of moderntesting method which could ensure foolproof testing in short period so that theconsignment is released from the customs on time and orders of their buyerswon’t get cancelled as it is happening frequently these days.
They also urged State government to ensure testing ofKashmiri Shawls is done as per the latest Standards issued by the Bureau ofIndian standards and ban all other obsolete methods of testing.