[Assam] Pearl industry to be set up in Silchar

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Pearl industry to be set up in Silchar

SILCHAR,June – This time Silchar is entering the market of gems. In the historic Gandhi Bagh park of the town, and on waters of the lake there, a pearl manufacturing firm is going to be set up for the first time in the north- eastern region.

The plan for the project has been approved by the World Bank. On the sole initiative of the District Pisciculture department and with the cooperation of the World Bank, the pearl cultivation firm is supposed to come up here. It is mentionable that Silchar Municipality gets no credit in this respect.

According to a pisciculture source, for a long time it has been in their programme to start pearl cultivation in Silchar. After sending a detailed report on the project, the World Bank agreed for the same. Even the specialists on behalf of the bank acknowledging the acceptability of the project came to Silchar and conducted thorough investigations into the proposed project. Subsequently they gave the green signal . To build an infrastructure of this level, the World Bank will initially grant an amount of Rs 20 lakh to the department.

In modern society, there are few alternatives to the beauty and utility of pearls. From propitation of planets or for dispositional coolness to the adornment of neck and fingers with necklaces and rings respectively pearls have always been in huge demand. Fake pearls abound in the markets which catering to the current demand. The commercial value of the pearls prompted the Pisciculture department to take up the project.

The suitability of the waters of the serpentine lake, created during the British period hashelped in the conceptualisation of the project. Examining the waters of the lake, the World Bank specialists came to the conclusion that the waters of the lake are suitable for the cultivation of the higher qualityof pearls.

It is often customary in Barak Valley for obstaclesto come up pouring wateron any promising effort. The proposal to set up the pearl manufacturing firm is currently hanging in midair due to want of necessary approval from the Silchar Municpality. In the meantime once, the municipality has turned down the appeal of the Pisciculture department, over using the lake. At last the department again approached the municipality with the detailed recommendation report of the World Bank. The chairpersonof Silchar Municipality is though hopeful herself, yet, she is doubts as to howto hand over the land belonging to the municipality.

It is mentionable that the lake has for a long time been used by the Pisciculture department for cultivating spawns of fishes. Currently the municipality to restore the park has walled up the entire area. As a result the lake has been drawn inside the boundaries of the park. According to a municipal source, the Pisciculture department requested for permission without identifying the location exactly on the 50 bighas of the park area as where the firm would be raised. Therefore it was turned down. The current petition which is supposed to contain the detailed information, is expected to be okayed, stated the source. 

On the other hand, a source among the gem traders of the town said that in the northeastern market, including Asom, the gems are in high demand. Here plastic fake pearls are fulfilling the demand. Actual pearls are acutely short in the market. If pearl industry is set up at Silchar, then the people of Barak Valley would be hugely benefited. Government support in the industry will enable people to buy pearls atlower rates. If the firm is finally set up at the proposed site of the historic pond, then it would be more glorifying for the site and the town itself. Besides the name of Silchar would be permanently inscribed in the map of the gems and stones.

 		
---------------------------------
How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low  PC-to-Phone call rates.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20060629/391f7997/attachment.htm>