KDB proposes permanent craft bazaar at K'shetra museum
Move is to increase revenue, footfall at Shri Krishna museum
QUOTE
Five shops to be constructed in park
The board has proposed to construct five shops in the park of Shri Krishna museum and allot shops to craftsmen on a rotation basis on the pattern of ‘Dilli Haat’. The shops will be allotted to craftsmen for a period of three or six months. It will help the board in generating revenue as well.— Madan Mohan Chhabra, honorary secretary, Kurukshetra Development Board
Nitish Sharma
Tribune News Service
Kurukshetra, March 17
To increase revenue of the Kurukshetra Development Board(KDB) and also footfall at Shri Krishna museum in Kurukshetra, the KDB has proposed to set up a permanent craft bazaar in the museum.
Currently a craft and saras fair is organised (for nearly a period of 15 days) on the occasion of Gita Mahotsav at the Brahma Sarovar in which the KDB allots stalls to craftsmen and traders who reach Kurukshetra from across the country. The fair attracts a large number of people and the craftsmen and traders do a brisk business. As per information, in 2019, over 40 lakh people had reached the Brahma Sarovar and the craftsmen had sold crafts worth around Rs 20 crore during the mahotsav. But there is no other such fair to attract the tourists for the remaining over 11 months.
Sources said initially, there was a plan to set up a permanent craft bazaar at the Brahma Sarovar, on the pattern of ‘Dilli Haat’ in Delhi. The KDB wanted to allot a few shops on a rotation basis to craftsmen to attract tourists, but it did not materialise. Now, the KDB wants to set up five shops in the park of the museum and allot it to craftsmen on a rotational basis to attract tourists and increase the footfall at the museum.
An official at Shri Krishna museum said earlier, the daily average footfall at the museum was over 1,000, but it dropped drastically due to the Covid pandemic. The footfall of tourists is still low and the daily average is over 500. The footfall is improving gradually and the board has been making efforts to increase the number of visitors at the museum. It will definitely attract more tourists if there is a permanent craft bazaar and souvenir shops.
“Besides attracting tourists towards Kurukshetra, the board has also been trying to create business opportunities for craftsmen. We have seen craftsmen getting good response during the mahotsav. The board has proposed to construct five shops in the park of the museum and allot the shops to the craftsmen on a rotation basis on the pattern of ‘Dilli Haat’. The shops will be allotted to craftsmen for a period of three or six months. It will help the board in generating revenue as well”, said Madan Mohan Chhabra, honorary secretary, Kurukshetra Development Board.
Caption: A view of Shri Krishna museum in Kurukshetra.
