Srinagar: Authorities in Kashmir on Monday warned handicraft dealers not to sell machine-made products as hand-made goods as it brings a bad name to the rich heritage of the region.
“The Handicrafts and Handloom Department, Kashmir, has warned showroom owners dealing with hand-made products to desist from selling machine-made items under the guise of genuine handmade products. Failure to comply will result in strict action under the Tourist Trade and Quality Control Acts,” the department said in a statement.
It added that several complaints had been received, wherein machine-made Turkish carpets were sold to tourists and other buyers as Kashmir hand-knotted carpets, thus bringing a bad name to the rich heritage of Kashmir.
“Acting swiftly, several showrooms are being inspected, and unlabelled machine-made products have been confiscated,” a spokesman for the department said.
He said that the Central Inspection Squad from the Quality Control wing of the Department had been directed to intensify inspections at various showrooms in Srinagar City Centre and en route health resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, besides other locations to crackdown on traders engaged in the sale of counterfeit products, branded as hand-made Kashmir Art.
To promote the sale of exquisite hand-made products, the spokesperson urged stakeholders to approach the Handicrafts and Handloom Department for Geographical Indication (GI) tagging, testing and certification of their products.
“The department has worked out a plan to significantly increase the capacity of testing and certification of hand-made products especially at Pashmina Testing and Quality Certification Centre at CDI,” he said.
