Kolkata: The information and cultural affairs department (I&CA) has written to Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) to prepare a detailed project report for setting up an integrated artisan and cultural heritage hub in Kumartuli. Sources said KMDA must submit the DPR within three months.The letter from the I&CA secretary mentions that 9-10 artisan clusters should be part of the plan. KMDA has been asked to accord “priority” to the project. “There are two places where the idols are crafted. One is in Kumartuli and the other is near Central Medical Store warehouses in Bagbazar. Both places have poor hygienic conditions. The warehouses are crumbling,” said a govt official. The govt is planning an “Integrated Development of Kumartuli as an Idol-Making and Cultural Heritage District”, the letter mentions.“A DPR will mention how many families live in these two places and how many artisans work there,” the official said.The letter mentions that KMDA must do a “detailed socio-economic, physical and infrastructural survey of the area, including identification of artisan households, ancillary workers, residents, existing workspaces, properties, infrastructure, access roads, utilities and other relevant features”.KMDA must prepare “an updated artisan and stakeholder database, covering the various categories of traditional artisans and other stakeholders associated with Kumartuli”. “The estimated project cost and the sources of funding will be explored in the DPR,” said the official.Sources said attempts to improve the condition of the working spaces of Kumartuli artisans were made earlier also, but not much has changed.
