Modi’s praise for Kashmir willow means nothing for bat makers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Srinagar rally on Saturday invoked the once famed cricket bat manufacturing industry of Kashmir with possibly no clue about the “plight” of these manufacturers.
Besides showering praise on cricketer Parvez Rasool and advocating hosting international matches in Kashmir, Modi said: “Sachin, Sehwag or Dhoni, whoever hit a six, they did it with a willow from Kashmir.” However for the bat manufacturers, the Prime Minister’s admiration meant little.
For them last five years have been the most tumultuous and there seems to be no end to their miseries. The dwindling industry had to suffer dislocation, floods and official apathy in these years
Kashmir’s bat manufacturing industry predominantly operates from Sangam and Hamulla village of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, with more than 100 such units located along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
“We were asked to relocate as land was being demarcated for the highway widening, costing us more than a year of work. Not to mention the infrastructural losses we incurred,” said Abdul Hameed Dar of Super Style Sports.
More than 75 per cent of these units had to relocate and have ever since been facing a flurry of problems, unavailability of electricity being one of the major worries.
“More than a dozen units remain without power supply. All of us are suffering without an essential supply line, which is a must for any industrial area,” said Mukhtar Ahmad of Alrounder Sports.
The district industries authority, however, said that these units were registered as “hand tool” units and to seek essential lines for these units is “beyond our jurisdiction”.
Battling the odds after dislocation, the manufacturers were hit by last year’s floods in September and incurred very heavy losses. The unit holders said they lost raw material and finished products worth crores of rupees.
We have been unable to cope with the losses. Manufacturing capacities have gone down and there are more than 20 units which have completely stopped manufacturing bats, rued manufacturers.
The worst part is that they are yet to be compensated for the losses.
District Industries Officer in Anantnag ,Abdul Aziz, told that the losses were ascertained and a detailed report submitted to the officials concerned. “But there has been no response at all,” Aziz said.