Straight Answers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Sanjay Kothari</span>, Chairman, Gem & Jewellery Promotion Council, On Kolkata emerging as a jewellery hub.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The city has just got the gem and jewellery park Manikanchan. Do you think the city is on its way to becoming a jewellery hub?</span><br /><br />Yes, definitely. Many hi-tech jewellery manufacturing factories are setting up shop at Manikanchan. Not only this, Kolkata will henceforth directly export gems and jewellery to countries like the US, Canada, Europe and Japan. <br /><br />The jewellery export from Kolkata was roughly Rs 400 crore last year. It is expected to up to Rs 1,000 crore by April 2004. Kolkata will come up as a major trading centre for jewellery within a few years.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What kind of response are you getting after setting up Manikanchan?</span><br /><br />The response has been very good. Nearly 80 per cent of the place has already been occupied. There are many entrepreneurs who have already shown interest in setting up factories and companies here to manufacture and export jewellery. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Will it also open up job opportunities in Kolkata?</span><br /><br />There are many artisans who have already got placements here. Earlier, many good artisans from West Bengal would go to Maharashtra for designing jewellery. They can now do their job here. We have received around 500 such applications who want to come back and get placements here. In fact, jewellery designers from other states will also get placements here.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Do you have any plan to open a gem and jewellery institute in Kolkata?</span><br /><br />Yes, we have plans to open an institute for jewellery designing and manufacturing in Kolkata. Moreover, we have plans to develop a cluster near Kona Expressway where artisans from Midnapur and Domjur can make jewellery. The government will provide the infrastructure for this.</div> </div>