KDB proposes permanent craft bazaar at Kurukshetra museum

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, March 21

To increase its revenue, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has proposed to set up a permanent craft bazaar in Shri Krishna Museum here.

At present, a craft and saras fair is organised (for around 15 days) on the occasion of Gita Mahotsav at the Brahma Sarovar. The KDB allots stalls to craftsmen and traders, who reach Kurukshetra from over the country, for the festival. A large number of people attend the festival while craftsmen and traders do a brisk business.

According to information, in 2019, over 40 lakh people visited the Brahma Sarovar and craftsmen sold crafts worth around Rs 20 crore during the mahotsav. But there is no other such fair to attract tourists in the remaining over 11 months.

Sources say 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 the rotational basis to craftsmen to attract tourists, but the plan did not materialise. Now, the KDB wants to set up five shops in the park of the museum and allot these to craftsmen on the rotational basis to attract tourists and increase the footfall at the museum.

Five shops to be constructed

The KDB has proposed to construct five shops in the park of Shri Krishna Museum and allot these to craftsmen on a rotational basis on the pattern of 'Dilli Haat'. The shops will be allotted to craftsmen for three or six months and will also help the KDB generate revenue. —Madan Mohan Chhabra, Honorary Secretary, KDB

An official at the museum says that the daily average footfall at the museum was over 1,000 earlier, but it dropped drastically due to the Covid pandemic. The footfall of tourists is still low; the daily average is over 500. The footfall is improving gradually and the KDB has been making efforts to attract more visitors to the museum. It will definitely attract more tourists if there is a permanent craft bazaar and souvenir shops.

"Besides attracting tourists to Kurukshetra, the KDB has also been trying to create business opportunities for craftsmen. We have seen craftsmen getting a good response during the mahotsav", says Madan Mohan Chhabra, honorary secretary of the KDB.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/3cWzFOO