Open-air market-cum-craft bazaar to be developed on Ganga ghats

BIJNOR: In a two-pronged strategy aimed at curbing rampant illegal fishing in Ganga, which flows through the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, and to provide alternate source of income opportunities for villagers, the local administration in Bijnor has decided to develop an open-air market-cum-craft bazar along the river in the area.
A forest official on Monday said that the primary goal is to encourage villagers to participate in the conservation of biodiversity, but for that they need an alternate source of income as well."We have been told to identify lands along the riverbank," the official added.
Bijnor and its nearby areas are known for handicraft and traders will be encouraged to set up their stalls here, he said.
Villagers also practice illegal farming on the river bed, he further said. "They sow vegetable seeds and grow wheat crops by using pesticides harmful for wildlife and aquatic species," the official added.
Meanwhile, Bijnor divisional forest officer, Anil Kumar Patel, said, "We are running several programmes to develop the skills of those people residing near the riverbank. They are skilled in making baskets and mats from elephant grass, and the government has now decided to set up a craft market on the ghats to promote their produce.”
“Apart from this, Bijnor's Sherkot area is known for its brush industry while Nahtaur for handloom, Kiratpur for glass bottles and Nagina for handicraft. We'll provide all of them with shops in the craft market," he added.
Coordinator of west UP Namani Gange campaign, Dheer Singh, said, "Land is being identified for such markets along various river ghats. Villagers who rely on the Ganga river will soon have an additional source of income without harming the environment."