Surat jari park fails to take off

Two years after Bhumi Pujan, there are no signs of the park coming up

The jari park proposed on the outskirts of Surat city has shown no signs of coming up, though the Bhumi Pujan was performed close to two years back.

According to jari traders, this is mainly due to a shortage of funds. "Over 100 jari traders had agreed to set up units in the jari park. We had collected ten per cent deposits from these traders. We were confident that we would be able to secure loans of remaining amount from banks. However, with scams in several co-operative banks, no one was ready to give us loans," Surat Jari Goods Producers Co-operative Society vice president Shantilal Jariwala said.

"Some of the banks agreed to give us loans, but sought securities in return, which we were not in a position to provide. We even wrote to the Revenue Department of the State Government for the loan, but we are yet to get any response," Jariwala said.

The jari association has been forced to refund the deposits of jari traders.

"We kept the deposits with us for a long time. But some traders, who had booked units in the jari park, grew impatient and demanded their money back. So we decided to refund the deposits to all traders," Jariwala said. The project has not been scrapped as yet, but could be soon.

The proposed jari park was expected to revive the flagging fortunes of the jari industry.

"The Gujarat Housing Board had agreed to allot land at Kosad village on the outskirts of the city for the jari park. We had planned to set-up 300 units in the park in the first phase. Each unit, inclusive of land cost and construction cost, would cost us Rs. 5.50 lakh. So the entire project would cost Rs. 16 crore or so," Jariwala said.

The Bhumi Pujan for the park was performed on August 25, 2002 by the then Union Textiles Minister Kashiram Rana.

"Gujarat Housing Board has reserved land for the jari park. The board officials have informally asked us to arrange for money so that work on the jari park can be started at the earliest. If not, there is a distinct possibility that the board might lift the reservation and use the land for some other purpose," Jariwala said.

Traders, however, are hopeful that the jari park would be completed some day.

"We require Rs 16 crore for completing the jari park. We do not have the funds, but we are trying our level best to arrange for the money. We are sure we will be able to make the necessary arrangements shortly. All the necessary formalities such as those for water supply, power supply, etc have been completed. Once the money is arranged, we plan to complete the project within an year," Jariwala said.

Along with textiles and diamond, the jari industry is a major source of employment for Surat residents. Though it is more of a cottage industry, jari units provide employment to close to 1 lakh people in the city.