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Government to set up jewellery parks

Jewellery parks with residential complex will be built to aide the work force in the gem and jewellery industry.

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To promote and streamline manufacturing of gem and jewellery, the State Government is looking at promoting the set up of jewellery parks around Mumbai. The government is also looking at creating low-cost housing for workers in these clusters.

The gems and jewellery sector accounts for a huge chunk of products exported from Maharashtra.

A senior state government official told dna that they were looking at promoting the establishment of parks for gems and jewellery manufacturing.

"This is a largely labour-oriented sector and these parks can be created in multi-storey buildings like IT parks," he said, adding that the state would work as a facilitator and help ensure ease of doing business.

The State Government is looking at establishing these parks in proximity to Mumbai, which accounts for a major chunk of gems and jewellery manufacturing in and exported from Maharashtra.

"This will help the sector increase manufacturing, add value and generate employment," the official noted, adding that at present, manufacturing facilities are disorganised, congested and lacked proper facilities. The state is looking at land in Navi Mumbai where the park can be situated.

"We are planning to allow a residential component as well otherwise movement of labour will be difficult. We can permit low-cost housing for workers in these clusters so that labour can stay there and work in shifts," he said, adding that floor space index (FSI) may be granted for units situated in these parks. Higher FSI can be allowed for low-cost housing. A similar policy is also being proposed for the garments sector.

An industry stakeholder said, at present, gold and jewellery manufacturers, for many of whom it was an ancestral business, lacked proper infrastructure. These units were located in areas like Jhaveri Bazaar, Bhuleshwar, Malad and Dahisar and many facilities are lodged in congested spaces sans ventilation, toilets and adequate lodging.

"That does not give a proper professional approach towards the industry," the stakeholder said, adding that these small manufacturers supported the exporters and retailers but got no infrastructure and health care facilities despite being among the key drivers of the sector.

Welcoming the plan for the jewellery park, which will help relocate these units to a professional and well-equipped environment, the source said the idea of providing accommodation to workers would help the labour force, which largely hailed from West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Odisha and stayed away from their families.

The gems and jewellery sector has three major products including gold bullion and refinery, gold jewellery including plain gold and studded loose stones including diamonds and coloured stones.

Around 60-70% of manufacturing in the sector in Maharashtra happened in Mumbai, said the industry stakeholder, adding that some other areas where this took place included Jalgaon, Nagpur and Solapur.

The Jhaveri Bazaar area was a major contributor to export, the stakeholder said.

The source pointed that while Mumbai accounted for around 98% diamond exports, the city and its neighbouring areas had a lower share of diamond manufacturing, with the rest moving to locations like Surat in Gujarat. He added that this project would help prevent the gems and jewellery manufacturing business from shifting to other states like Gujarat.

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