As a part of creating a permanent platform for the tribal community in Kerala to showcase and sell their unique products and cultural artefacts, the Scheduled Tribes Development department is all set to launch a tribal complex in the heart of Kochi city.
The three-storeyed building, located on Foreshore Road, is spread across an area of more than 2,000 sq m. The construction of the building is complete and it will be thrown open to the public soon. Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes AK Balan visited the tribal complex on Sunday to evaluate the work.
Minister AK Balan visiting the Tribal Complex
Through the tribal complex, the department aims to increase the reach of tribal products, provide a platform to sell the unique art forms of the various tribes and promote tribal cuisine.
“The tribal complex is the first of its kind in the state. Though the department used to conduct flea markets for the tribal community across the state to promote their products, there has not been a permanent platform for them before,” Anil Kumar, Tribal Development Officer (TDO) Muvattupuzha, told TNM.
The implementation of the project idea, which was initially mooted in 2004, began in 2011.
Facilities at the complex
The complex will house eight shops for the tribal community to sell their products. “This is the most important facility in the complex as far as the tribal people are concerned. Because people can sell their products here and take all the income back home,” TDO Anil said.
As of now, the officials have decided to give three out of the eight shops to the Attapadi Co-operative Farming Society, Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) and Ambedkar Memorial Rural Institute for Development (AMRID). All three institutions have been working closely with tribal communities.
The other five stalls will be given on contract to people from tribal communities for a period of one year. People from the community can submit an application to the Tribal Officer in their district and get the stall free of cost for a year.
A sophisticated auditorium that can seat about 300 people at a time is also part of the complex. Adivasi art forms and folklores will be presented here. Officials also plan to rent out the auditorium to private parties when no programmes are being conducted to get additional revenue.
An ethnic food court serving native delicacies of the tribal communities in the state will also be set up inside the complex.
The department also aims to make the complex a tourism destination in Kochi in association with the District Tourism Promotion Council. As the part of this, dormitory facilities have been arranged for tourists inside the complex.
The tribal complex will be managed by a committee headed by the Ernakulam district collector, director of the Scheduled Tribes Development department and a district tribal officer.