An artisan at an NGO in Jamshedpur. Pix: Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Feb. 6: If things begin in earnest, Chakulia in East Singhbhum will soon turn into a popular hub of bamboo products.

The state industry department has decided to set up a common facility centre and train about 500 artisans in bamboo works at Chakulia. Moreover, it has decided to takeover a bamboo splitting unit spread across five acres from the forest department at Manasmuria village under Chakulia forest range.

Special secretary of state industry department Dheerendra Kumar said that about Rs 1 crore would be spent on the project.

“The region has a great potential for development. The bamboo project will begin in collaboration with Guwahati-based Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre, which will provide expert help to the government institute,” said the special secretary.

The industry department will soon sign an MoU with the Guwahati-based institute. Kumar said that training would be offered to local artisans on making moulded furniture, bamboo houses, bamboo tiles and bamboo corrugated sheets.

“Currently, local artisans earn Rs 60 a day. The project will help them earn Rs 150 instead. The initiative is meant to improve their lifestyle,” he said.

Kumar said the industry department would procure machines for cutting, splitting and slicing bamboo trees while the plantation bit will be taken care of by the forest department.

A warehouse will also be constructed to store the bamboo products before they are dispatched to different places. “At present, bamboo is transported to different parts of the country for processing, as the state lacks a bamboo unit with facilities of splitting and slicing,” the special secretary pointed out.

“Once the bamboo unit starts functioning in Chakulia, packaging factories will be benefited.”

Significantly, Chakulia, Dhalbhumgarh, Ghatshila and Baharagora regions of East Singhbhum are the areas where bamboo cultivation is carried out on a large- scale. These places have a climate conducive to bamboo plantation.