Kannauj: “Harm by no means befalls those that do rajneeti (politics). Only the individuals get crushed,” an attar producer rued at his sweet-smelling showroom within the coronary heart of Bada Bazaar in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj, referred to as India’s fragrance capital.
Here, the heady scents of damask roses, vetiver, and sandalwood linger within the air, changing into stronger in retailers the place perfumers promote tiny glass bottles crammed with attar or ittar — oil-based botanical perfumes, created utilizing age-old deg-bhapka (steam-distillation) methods.
Yet, a promise for the longer term — the International Perfume Museum and Park (now referred to as the Attar Park), an bold undertaking proposed six years in the past by UP’s former Samajwadi Party authorities — appears to have principally gone up in smoke.
About 20 kilometres from Bada Bazaar, alongside the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, lies the positioning of the undertaking, conceived of as an change of technical experience between Kannauj and the French fragrance capital, Grasse.
An anticipated consequence was larger worldwide publicity and a branding boost for the UP city, whose perfumes are have a modest market in West Asia and are additionally used within the olfactory compositions of European perfumers.
But since April 2016, when then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav laid the muse stone for the undertaking, solely mounds of rubble and soil have come up throughout the boundary wall, a stark distinction to the futuristic orchid-like constructing envisioned on the undertaking’s web site.
Many merchants and producers in Kannauj blame “lack of curiosity” from the state’s Yogi Adityanath-led BJP authorities, in energy since March 2017, for the undertaking’s uncared for state. They additionally complain that although work has purportedly began over the previous few months, the undertaking’s scope has been considerably diminished.
During a dialogue on the UP Budget within the meeting in May, Akhilesh, who’s now Leader of the Opposition, accused the BJP authorities of not allocating cash for Kannauj’s attar business, which comes underneath the purview of the state’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative to encourage conventional enterprises.
“You might not like ittar,” he mentioned, “however everybody likes perfume.” He identified that whereas the fragrance park gathered mud, a gobar (cow dung) gasoline plant had been granted a budgetary allocation.
Speaking to ThePrint, BJP chief and Kannauj MP Subrat Pathak, nonetheless, mentioned that the fragrance park represented “pure politics” in the course of the Akhilesh regime, and that the Yogi authorities was implementing it.
While authorities officers and native residents mentioned the park had been “stalled” for years, Pathak claimed that the primary part of the undertaking was anticipated to be accomplished by the top of the yr.
As of now, the price range of the undertaking has reportedly been diminished to Rs 100 crore from the estimated Rs 257 crore of the unique plan, and the land allotted diminished from 100 acres to slightly below half that, inflicting appreciable frustration in Kannauj’s beleaguered attar business.
Also Read: Where even drains scent of roses — inside India’s perfumery Kannauj
An historical business underneath duress
Kannauj was within the enterprise of aromas effectively earlier than the Mughals arrived and boosted demand, and it continues to be a key manufacturing centre for pure perfumes, oils, essences, incense sticks, and different perfume merchandise.
When requested concerning the origins of the native fragrance business, Pawan Trivedi, president of the Attars and Perfumers Association of Kannauj, quoted from the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, a verse from the Rigveda, which makes use of the phrase “sugandhim” or aromatic to describe Lord Shiva.
According to him, this can be a clue that attars existed way back to Vedic occasions.
Currently, there are round 350 manufacturing models within the city and its environs, offering employment to at the least 5,00,000 individuals, and producing an annual turnover of about Rs 200 crore, in accordance to the affiliation.
Pink roses being ready for extraction of important oils via hydro-distillation in Kannauj | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
However, the business right here has been in decline for a number of years now, with rising prices of uncooked supplies and tapering demand hitting earnings.
A rejuvenation of the flagging business was the rationale behind the Akhilesh authorities’s proposal for a fragrance park.
Trivedi informed ThePrint that the prospect of this improvement had raised the hopes of producers about establishing a extra distinguished place on the worldwide map.
“The attars of Kannauj are distinctive and unique to the producers of the town, however we lack advertising, branding, and assist from the federal government. Had we been ready to market ourselves higher, we might progress extra,” he mentioned.
Perfume park’s bold beginnings
The imaginative and prescient for the International Perfume Museum and Park first took form in 2015, when Akhilesh and his spouse, then Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav, visited Grasse to chalk out a tie-up.
At first, preliminary paperwork present, the thought was for the grand undertaking to come up on 400 acres of land, underneath the aegis of the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA).
Of this, 300 acres had been slated to come from the “gram sabha” land obtainable on the website, whereas the remaining 100 acres wanted to be “organized” via land acquisition from farmers.
Key elements of the undertaking included an attar “manufacturing zone” for superior distillation and extraction models in two villages alongside the Thatiya street, in addition to a museum and auditorium, amongst different buildings.
As half of the Kannauj-Grasse pact, it was additionally introduced that teams of college students can be despatched to the French city for coaching programmes.
Bottles of attar at a store in Kannauj | Shikha Salaria | ThePrint
However, Rakesh Jha, the UPSIDA regional supervisor who was overseeing the undertaking, mentioned that roadblocks within the land acquisition course of sobered these ambitions and a recent plan was ready for the undertaking, overlaying a complete of 100 acres. “Of this, 31 acres had been recognized for work within the first part,” he mentioned.
Other than land acquisition points, the undertaking additionally hit a authorized bump when UPSIDA determined to exchange an organization it had employed to implement the undertaking.
Finally, in April 2016, a yr earlier than the meeting polls, Akhilesh Yadav laid the muse stone of the International Perfume Museum and Park in Tirwa tehsil of Kannauj. The first part of the undertaking kicked off, at the least in identify, on 28 acres out of the 31 acres recognized, with a completion goal of two years.
‘Project was stalled for 4.5 years’
In March 2017, a BJP authorities got here to energy underneath the management of Yogi Adityanath.
The Adityanath authorities meant to take the undertaking ahead however reportedly cited points such because the land acquisition course of being incomplete, an absence of readability concerning the viability of the idea, and the necessity to embrace the phrase “attar” within the undertaking’s identify.
After that, native residents allege, the work remained stalled till simply forward of the 2022 meeting elections.
“The work remained stalled for four-and-a-half years because the announcement in April 2016. Work on the boundary wall began six months again, simply earlier than the meeting elections,” Trivedi mentioned.
Site of the International Perfume Museum and Park in Kannauj, which was proposed six years in the past in the course of the SP authorities | Shikha Salaria | ThePrint
He claimed that the present authorities has not demonstrated a lot enthusiasm concerning the undertaking, and that this was affecting traders’ curiosity in it.
“If you begin by questions like what number of (producers) will come, will somebody come or not? It is pure that even traders would get discouraged,” he mentioned.
Another attar producer noticed: “The undertaking is especially struggling as a result of of lack of curiosity of the present regime. Since, the undertaking has been downsized, the producers are additionally in dilemma about it. The undertaking has been stalled for over 4 years… it hints at what the federal government is considering.”
A large downsizing
Government officers admit that the work had been stalled for some time, however that it’s now underneath method.
Speaking to ThePrint, Kannauj District Magistrate R.Okay. Mishra mentioned that that the work had began and there have been plans to “purchase extra land for organising of the manufacturing zone”.
However, the scope of the undertaking has diminished significantly. Instead of 100 acres, it will likely be constructed on 50-odd acres. Further, in accordance to data from the UPSIDA, it would probably find a way to accommodate solely 38 industrial models, whereas 90-100 producers are fascinated about organising right here. The present price range for the undertaking has additionally been diminished to Rs 100 crore.
Giving additional particulars, further district Justice of the Peace (finance/income) Gajendra Kumar mentioned that 31 acres of land is accessible at current, of which work has begun on 28 acres. “After this, one other 29 acres of land might be acquired. The undertaking will cowl a complete of 59 acres,” Kumar mentioned.
According to Trivedi, this downsizing has come as an enormous disappointment.
“When functions had been first invited for the undertaking, round 80-90 perfumers expressed their need to arrange models there,” he mentioned. “However, now, the federal government is just going forward with a bit over 50 acres of land, out of which they’re providing solely 38 industrial models to the producers who need to arrange their models within the park.”
Another main perfumer registered the identical criticism: “The authorities modified the previous proposal and got here up with a brand new one, underneath which the quantity of the economic plots meant for allocation to the producers was drastically diminished.”
However, Principal Secretary, MSME, Navneet Sehgal informed ThePrint that the federal government will strive to allot plots to all of the producers.
An previous perfumery in Kannauj | Shikha Salaria | ThePrint
Land lease expenses too ‘steep’
The perfumers of Kannauj are additionally incensed that they’re being provided industrial plots at a fee of Rs 6,000 per sq. metre (1 acre is simply over 4,000 sq. metres), which they are saying is simply too “steep” for them.
Perfumers say they’ve held a number of conferences with CM Yogi Adityanath, the chief secretary, and the principal secretary (MSME) over the previous few years.
“We had a gathering with the previous chief secretary Anoop Chandra Pandey in 2018 and had additionally met the CM round three years in the past. However, nothing occurred on the bottom and our considerations stay unaddressed,” Trivedi mentioned.
According to some producers, UP ought to take a cue from neighbouring Uttarakhand’s upcoming Aroma Park undertaking.
“In Uttarakhand’s Kashipur, fragrant industries are getting an industrial plot for Rs 2,500 per sq. metre within the Aroma Park undertaking. If they may give for such an inexpensive value, why not the UP authorities?” requested one other perfumer in Bada Bazaar.
Trivedi mentioned that his affiliation had advised to the federal government {that a} workforce of UPSIDA — the implementation company — be despatched to Kashipur to perceive how they’re providing land at cheaper charges.
When requested about this, Mayank Mangal, regional supervisor, UPSIDA Kanpur, claimed that evaluating UP to Uttarakhand was not potential as a result of the latter was a “hilly state”.
Asked concerning the “steep fee” and the producers demanding a subsidy, MSME principal secretary Navneet Sethi mentioned that they’re “making an attempt” to do it.
‘Politics is to blame’
On situation of anonymity, many Kannauj perfumers cite one of their greatest worries: The results of politics.
The metropolis, which was the Lok Sabha constituency of Akhilesh Yadav’s spouse Dimple for 2 phrases, till 2019, was seen as a Samajwadi Party stronghold, which perfumers say has labored in opposition to them.
Many right here converse of their fears concerning the business being on the radar of the GST and earnings tax authorities.
In December final yr, pictures went viral of thick stacks of money, reportedly amounting to greater than Rs 150 crore, allegedly recovered from the home of Piyush Jain, the Kanpur-based proprietor of Trimurti Fragrance.
A political stink ensued — whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked on the “fragrance of corruption” sprinkled throughout the state by the SP, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Jain loved patronage from the BJP.
Meanwhile, there was hypothesis that the “mistaken” Jain had been nabbed since one other fragrance baron with the identical final identify had launched a scent referred to as ‘Samajwadi Itr’ the earlier month. Days later, this businessman, the Samajwadi Party MLC Pushparaj Jain, was additionally within the IT web. After a number of raids on his properties, he was accused of earnings tax evasion.
“This has grow to be a disturbing development. If we elevate any subject, we could also be branded as being pro-SP and who is aware of what occurs afterwards?” a perfumer mentioned on situation of anonymity.
Like others right here, he blamed “politics” for the state of the fragrance park undertaking.
“The undertaking was initiated in the course of the SP authorities, however the present authorities doesn’t appear to be wanting to go forward with it with the identical enthusiasm and has diminished its dimension in addition to price range,” the perfumer mentioned.
The SP additionally maintains that the undertaking was missed within the price range session. “Because it was began by former CM and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and since Kannauj has earlier been the stronghold of the Samajwadis, they’ve allotted no price range for the undertaking. The fragrance park will assist not solely the producers but additionally the farmers who produce flowers,” SP chief spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhary informed ThePrint.
Kannauj MP Subrat Pathak, nonetheless, mentioned that the undertaking was on observe and the primary part can be completed throughout the yr.
“In your complete undertaking, a coaching centre has to come up right here however other than that, the key subject is of advertising of merchandise on which we predict the report from the Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC),” he mentioned. “The matter might be taken up within the subsequent assembly and we’ll ahead the [report] to the state authorities.”
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
Also Read: In Meerut, ‘startup tradition’ means hard-to-get loans, low demand, misplaced hope
https://theprint.in/india/governance/attar-park-scent-of-politics-why-sp-era-plan-to-boost-ups-kannauj-perfumers-has-gone-stale/1029546/
