NewsID: 114 Author Mohammad Azhar, PRO Kashmir Dated 21 January 2019
Subject Common Facility Centre for Manufacturing of Cricket bats to be Developed at Sethar Anantnag
Sethar, Anantnag renowned globally for the manufacturing of quality cricket bats is to be developed as a common facility centre for the manufacturing of cricket bats under the World Bank funded JTFRP (Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project).
This was stated during the site visit of Dr, Raghav Langer, Chief Executive Officer, ERA/ JTFRP to existing common facility centre at Sethar, Anantnag for seasoning of cricket bats. The facility has been badly impacted due the floods of 2014 and is presently not operational. Officers of the Industries and Commerce Dept present on the occasion informed CEO that more than 400 bat manufacturing units are presently operating in Sethar and adjoining areas of District Anantnag which employee more than 5000 people and the facility was established in 2006 for the seasoning of wood used by these units for the manufacturing of cricket bats.
CEO also visited a local bat manufacturing unit were he was shown the various stages involved in the manufacturing of the cricket bats. He also interacted with the representatives of the local bat manufacturing units who demanded that the area be designated as an industrial cluster and be provided with all the facilities to enable the cricket bat manufacturing units to flourish.CEO directed the nodal officer of JTFRP to prepare a report regarding the key actions plan agreed to between the representatives of bat manufacturing units and World Bank representatives during their meeting at New Delhi so that a comprehensive project for the establishment of Common facility centre for the cricket bat units at Sethar is taken up. Representatives of bat industry also demanded that the SRO of Govt. regulating their activity needs to be revisited and amended as per the latest requirements
CEO JTFRP also inspected the progress of work on 3.34 km Halmulla- Punchpora to Kralkut which is estimated to cost Rs 4.98 crores and also visited Girls Degree College, Anantnag and Boys Degree College Bijbehara were additional blocks are being constructed under the critical infrastructure component of JTFRP
Economic Reconstruction Agency 