State drives fur traders to suicide

SRINAGAR, MAY 25: Abdul Ghani had of late become reclusive, his family members had been noticing. A week later, he put an end to all the p...

SRINAGAR, MAY 25: Abdul Ghani had of late become reclusive, his family members had been noticing. A week later, he put an end to all the problems confronting him owing to the long-standing ban on the fur trade. He committed suicide leaving behind a family of six to fend for themselves. A few days hence another master artisan name withheld followed suit.

The cases are only the tip of an iceberg and more tragedies are in offing, says Ghulam Mohideen Khan, president, All Kashmir Fur and Leather Manufacturers Tanners and Dyers Association, as about 2,000 families associated with the fur trade are facing starvation. Some 10,000 people were badly hit after the worldwide ban was imposed on the trade in 1972. More than 2,000 units were closed and a majority of skilled artisans had a tough time to keep their kitchen-fire burning.

quot;Only assurances have come and we cannot feed our family on these. The rehabilitation of the people associated with this trade is only a myth which has exploded time and again,quot; Khan fumes.

Faced with a grim prospect, the fur artisans have threatened to immolate themselves if not rehabilitated immediately. Many warn of a fast-unto death, if the State did not come to their rescue and announce the package.

The rehabilitation scheme, quot;pioneeredquot; by both central and state governments, is yet to see the light of the day. Even materials like fur caps, gloves, jackets made out of animal hides stand seized by the state government. Though, according to the fur traders, the material seized was worth Rs 14 crore, it was priced by the government at Rs 9 crore initially.

A few years later, Government said the cost doesn8217;t exceed Rs 7 crore. It was also decided that the material would be burnt and the rehabilitation of these people carried out urgently. However, the aid did not come through and many artisans took up menial jobs for survival.

quot;Twenty-eight years have passed but we have not received a single penny. Our government is to be blamed for all the mess that we are in as it did not take up the matter effectively with the Centre. When the trade was closed in Western countries, a proper rehabilitation scheme pulled out the workers from the morass there, but nothing sort of that has happened here,quot; said an association member.

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Former Union Environment Minister Saif-ud-din Soz said he had pushed the files for the rehabilitation and had even envisaged a package for them but the State Government was lax to cash on on the offer. quot;I had asked the State Government to formulate a scheme for the rehabilitation and the Centre was to bear 50 per cent of the total cost incurred on it, but the State Government failed to do so. It is basically State Government8217;s duty to rehabilitate them,quot; Soz claimed.

When contacted, Minister of Industries Mustafa Kamal said the Government had already announced a one-time grant of Rs 50,000 per head which will be taken up by the Department of Wildlife. quot;Soft loans are also in the pipeline besides the skilled persons will be registered with the Directorate of Handloom and Handicrafts for accommodation, whenever there is a vacancy,quot; he claimed.

quot;Schemes like District Rural Development Agency DRDA PRYM and TRYSEM will also take care of the skilled labourers,quot; he added.

He said the Government has re-valued the fur material seized at Rs 9.5 crore and put to end the dispute over the total cost of the consignment.