Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 19: The Khatija market, exclusively a market built for women, in the Handwara area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, remains unused for nearly three years after its inauguration.
This market was meant to empower local female entrepreneurs by providing them with dedicated commercial spaces. However, the market’s potential remains untapped, frustrating both officials and the community.
According to an official, the local municipality constructed eight shops on available land to support women engaged in various businesses, including tailoring, fashion designing, and grocery stores. The project aimed to help women establish their ventures. “Despite an investment of Rs 50 lakh, the market has yet to see any official auction process initiated for allotting these spaces to female entrepreneurs,” he said. He added that some applications for stalls have been received, but no progress has been made.
Local residents and aspiring businesswomen have expressed their disappointment over the delay. The market was intended to enhance women’s economic participation and provide better business opportunities, but the lack of action undermines this goal.
“I had been stitching clothes for a tailor who pays meager rates, 80 percent lower than desired. We were hopeful that these shops would ensure fair value for our hard work,” a local woman said.
Mansoor Ahmad Banday, the former Chairman of the Handwara Municipal Committee, said, “I took a small step by opening a women-exclusive market in the town for those who lacked avenues to start their businesses. I built some shops on empty land that risked encroachment. The shops were completed, but my term ended.”
Banday added that the Government had planned to auction the shops, but nothing has happened so far. “We want the shops to be given to women and opened for business. Neither has any auction been held, nor have the shops been allotted,” he said.
Executive Officer Handwara Municipal Committee, Farhana, said that they have taken up the matter with the authorities. “We will auction the shops in fifteen-twenty days as we have some rent issues to resolve,” she said.
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