State government mulls mat hub in Vidyasagar Industrial Park

Kolkata: The state government is planning to come up with a mat (madur) hub at the Vidyasagar Industrial park in Kharagpur, to give a big boost to the industry. A portion of the land at the industrial park has already been earmarked for setting up the proposed hub.

Sabang in West Midnapore, located at a distance of less than 40 kilometres from Kharagpur, is known for churning out mats of international quality, which are acclaimed all over the world. More than 55 percent of the total mat production in the country comes from the Sabang block, which has 13 gram panchayats under it.

More than 90 percent of the population in Sabang earns a livelihood by manufacturing mats. A village haat (fair) held every Tuesday in Sabang witnesses people from all parts of the state, including the neighbouring states of Odisha and Jharkhand.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is familiar with every nook and cranny of Sabang and she is patronising the development of the mat industry. The push given by the state government has ensured that the artisans involved in the manufacture of these mats face no difficulty in getting bank loan. There are 16 nationalised bank branches in Sabang block at present," said Trinamool Congress MP Manas Bhuniya, who had been a six-time elected MLA from Sabang.

When Bhuniya was the state Cottage and Small Scale Industries minister, the Bengal government in 2012 launched the "Natural Fibre Mission" and included the development of skill of artisans and supply of tools and equipment for rural people associated with making products from natural fibres like jute, bamboo, coir, mat, sabai grass, cotton and silk.

Several rural haats were conceived and gradually the condition of the people involved with the industry improved. "The Centre has stopped funds for this progamme, but the initiative and interest of the Chief Minister has kept the ball rolling in the state," he added.

Bhuniya's wife Gita Rani, who is an MLA from Sabang, is also in talks with some NGOs to boost the marketing of the mats. The state government will soon come up with two 'Karmatirtha' in Sabang, which will contribute to further development of the industry.

The Bengal government had hosted the first edition of Madur (Mat) Mela, solely dedicated to mat weavers, on Digha sea beach in January.