Guwahati, Oct. 2: Guwahati will soon have a Khadi Haat — a platform for the indigenous communities of the Northeast to exhibit and market khadi and allied products made by local artisans.

Assam Khadi and Village Industries Board chief executive officer P.B. Nath said this today during a function organised on the board premises to observe Gandhi Jayanti.

“The board has been demanding creation of a platform for the local artisans of the Northeast to display and market their products. The board owns a 25- bigha plot of land at Hengrabari, out of which 7 bighas will be used for the construction of Khadi haat on the lines of the Dilli Haat. Each state of the region will be provided a specific place in the haat to display various khadi, handloom and related products,” Nath said.

He said Dispur had recently released around Rs 94 lakh and the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Mumbai, had sanctioned funds of around Rs 10 crore for the project, which had been designed by IIT Guwahati’s department of design.

“Although KVIC has sanctioned funds for the construction of the haat, we were unable to start the project because of the delay in getting the funds sanctioned by the state government,” Nath added.

The board has taken the initiative to renovate the Khadi Bhandar at Chandabari using the KVIC funds.

Nath said the government had also sanctioned an additional Rs 2 crore for the financial year 2010-11 under the chief minister’s employment generation programme.

The celebration of the 143rd Gandhi Jayanti began on the Assam Khadi and Village Industries Board premises with a group of women twisting yarn on the traditional spinning wheel, followed by Gandhi prarthana (prayer). Besides, an all-religion prayer meet was organised.

Speaking on the occasion, agricultural adviser to the chief minister, Bhumidhar Barman, said, “We need another Gandhi to eradicate corruption and create a Ramrajya, where peace can prevail. I support Anna Hazare and appreciate his initiative in eradicating corruption from society. We all need to swear by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.”

Offering floral tributes to the portrait of Gandhi, state handloom and textiles minister Pranati Phukan said the need of the hour was grama swaraj and development of gramodyog.

The day was also observed at the Gandhi Mandap, located atop the Sarania hillock.

Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner Ashutosh Agnihotri, MLA Robin Bordoloi, Indian Red Cross Society Assam branch chairman Renuka Devi Borkotoky and a host of freedom fighters, among others, and offered floral tributes to the statue of Gandhi.