political-neglect-threatens-survival-of-saharanpur-s-historic-wood-industry

The Saharanpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh goes to polls on April 19, the first phase of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Saharanpur is globally acclaimed for its wood carving and is popularly known as the "wooden city."

The industry is over 400 years old and has acquired the status of a cottage industry. Nearly seven lakh people are directly or indirectly associated with it, and it impacts the district’s financial and economic affairs.

In the past five years, Saharanpur's wood carving industry—expected to be worth Rs 400 crore—has been reeling from the impact of GST, demonetisation, and the pandemic, with sales and exports taking a hit.

Once among the thriving, highly profitable micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, the wooden industry in the UP town is now crying for political attention to survive.

“No political party or leader has bothered to address our concerns, but expect that we will vote for them in the name of caste and religion. In Saharanpur, artisans and affiliate industries are angry and upset because of the failure of every political party to save this dying industry,” Sabir Ali Khan, a patron of the Saharanpur Wood Carving Manufacturers’ Association, told the Hindustan Times.

Many other workers who run small wood workshops making trays, toys, and other small products echo a similar sentiment. The trays sell for as low as Rs 100, which means their profit margins are very low, and taxation is very high, leaving very little in earnings.

Moreover, youngsters today are not eager to join the industry due to its labour- and skill-intensive nature and minimal profits.

Speaking to NAI, a wooden tray-maker in Saharanpur who wished to remain anonymous said that margins on the products are very low, especially due to high GST. "A carved tray would sell for a decent amount if exported to other countries, but in India, the prices are very low. Our industry has faced neglect for many years from politicians," he said.

Saharanpur is one of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. It is a general category seat and is one of the westernmost parliamentary constituencies in UP. It comprises five assembly segments: Behat (Samajwadi Party), Saharanpur Nagar (Bharatiya Janata Party), Saharanpur (SP), Deoband (BJP), and Rampur Maniharan (BJP).

Haji Fazlur Rehman from the Bahujan Samaj Party is currently the MP from Saharanpur. 

The candidates contesting Lok Sabha Elections this year are Raghav Lakhanpal from the BJP, Congress’s Imran Masood, and Majid Ali from the BSP.