A potter at work in Palpara. A Telegraph picture

Palpara (Matigara), Feb. 4: It might be a poll sweetener but nobody is complaining in this artisan village. Instead of the obsolete smoke-belching kilns used by the artisans of this village, known for its famed earthen craft, the local panchayat bodies have promised to build a state-of-art furnace that will make production easier and keep the lungs safe.

In what is being touted as the first initiative of its kind in the region, the District Rural Development Cell (DRDC) along with Matigara Panchayat Samity have decided to build an environment-friendly common furnace for the clay workers. Land has already been procured for the project and work on the furnace is expected to start soon.

There are about 500 families engaged in pottery in this village situated on National Highway 31, some six km from Siliguri, along the banks of river Balason.

Almost every household has a kiln of its own to burn their kutcha wares, a process that is not only time-consuming but also hazardous to health.

“The kiln, designed for the whole village, will be spread over two cottahs of land with another three cottahs kept for temporary storage of the final products. The kiln will have two units, a heater and a drier. The heater will be run on diesel,” said Paritosh Roy, the DRDC project director.

The design of the project was developed by experts at the District Industries Centre and Siliguri Women’s Polytechnic College.

“The initial investment of Rs 7.5 lakh will be provided by the DRDC but the cost of maintenance and other expenses will be taken care of by the artisans themselves and the self-help groups working with them,” said Roy.

“Skill development work has already started among the artisans and a cooperative will be formed soon, which will oversee the day-to-day workings of the furnace. The villagers will be able to work on the furnace before the monsoon sets in,” said Amal Kanti Roy, the block development officer of Matigara.

More than anything else, the new kiln will help the artisans breathe easy. Several of them suffer from breathing disorders and asthma as the kilns belch continuous smoke and pollute the environment.

For the artisans, there could not have been better news. “Anything that will bring down our costs is welcome,” said Motilal Pal, an artisan.

Dulal Pal, who has a shop selling the pottery stuff at Kolhapur, said: “The baking takes about 10 days in our indigenous bhattis. We were told that the new one would speed up the process.”