Tarun Gogoi and Himanta Biswa Sarma at the foundation stone-laying ceremony on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Sept. 7: The glitter of Dubai is coming soon to a shopping mall near you.

Dispur today concretised plans to build a regional handloom and handicraft marketing complex in Guwahati, one that will have all the trappings of New Delhi?s Ansal Plaza and the shopping malls of Dubai. The idea is to market under one roof the region?s handicrafts, handloom products, processed food and orchids ?in an international setting?.

The Rs 6 crore-plus shopping complex of the Assam Apex Weavers and Artisans? Co-operative Federation Ltd (Artfed) will have a floor area of 4,250 sq metres, central air-conditioning, escalators, high-speed elevators and soothing background music.

The North Eastern Council has released the first instalment of Rs 2.7 crore for the project, which is to be completed in just over two years.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who laid the foundation stone of the complex, said Dispur was ready to go the extra mile to make the capital city one of the best shopping destinations of the country.

Gogoi claimed ? not for the first time, though ? that Guwahati did not have a law and order problem. He said the profile of the city had changed fast over the past four years with shopping malls, a multiplex, hotels, swank eateries, showrooms of big brands and branches of private banks coming up in different localities.

A state government delegation led by minister of state for planning and development Himanta Biswa Sarma came back from the famous Dubai Shopping Festival recently with inputs on how to go about the Artfed project.

Artfed managing director N.N. Rana Patgiri said the proposed complex on A.K. Azad Road would add the cutting edge to marketing of handloom, handicrafts, processed foods and orchids. ?In today?s market, nothing sells without style. Irrespective of their age, people want a shopping experience that is cool, comfortable and stylish. This is what Artfed will try to provide.?

Apart from sale outlets, the complex will have a big exhibition hall for thematic events, a permanent platform for fashion shows, a library, a museum and a research centre for handloom and handicrafts.

Sarma said the project would be ?an eye-opener for those who say nothing good can happen in Guwahati, Assam or the Northeast?.

Artfed has been trying to make its products competitive in world markets. Its export business has already grossed a turnover of Rs 3 crore.

The PSU is a member of the Handloom Export Promotion Council, the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts and the All India Federation of Co-operative Spinning Mills. It has also been inducted into the International Business Forum of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.

Patgiri said Artfed had been able to ?create a great demand? for handwoven muga and eri silk in the global market by participating in various international fairs. ?The main buyers are the US and Japan. We have received orders from Malaysia for curtains and cushion covers made of silk-jute and polysilk jute. South Africa has placed orders for dyed plain mulberry silk and eri quilts.?