Daijiworld Media Network - Bidar (MS)

Bidar, Dec 8: The project of Banjara Tribal Park, which is being built at a cost of Rs 200 crore, with the intention of preserving the unique dress, dance and art of the Banjara community, is still not finished after five years of starting the work.

This park is coming up at Borampalli village of Humnabad taluk of the district. The state government had granted the approval to build the park on an area of 34.06 acres in 2015-16 fiscal itself. The project was intended to get completed by one year. However, the work related to the project is limping.

Karnataka Thanda Development Corporation has built compound wall and roads in the first phase. However, the works of building the hostel, guest house and other buildings amounting to Rs 10 crore, given to land army is not yet done after five years.

Tribal Park was one of the most ambitious projects of the earlier Congress government. But it seems the good intention of the then state government and the Thanda Development Corporation is not getting realized because of the inordinate delay in the work. The aim is to establish a Banjara dress manufacturing unit using modern technology to give a modern touch to the traditional outfit. Along with preserving the tradition of dress, there is the intention of providing jobs also.

As the modernization is marching ahead at full pace, Banjara embroidery work is getting extinct. But the government has the intention of establishing training centres on large scale in this park and continue the embroidery tradition of the Banjara community. There is also a plan of starting a school of traditional Banjara dance and also the band they use. In addition, a unit manufacturing cement bricks will also come up in this park. The members of Banjara community generally migrate to other places. There is also a plan of starting temporary residential schools for the children of such people.

The Thanda Development Corporation also wishes to start a rehabilitation center for alcoholics. The then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government had approved Rs 200 crore for the project and released Rs 50 crore. But the department which too the contract did not work at desired speed. Hence, the project is limping. This has caused disappointment among the leaders and people representatives of the Banjara community.