The Department of Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir today issued a stern warning to all registered handicraft dealers, directing them to remove machine-made products from their showrooms within seven days failing which they shall be blacklisted and deregistered for unfair trade practice.
The department said that machine-made products are banned from being sold or displayed in Kashmir Handicraft showrooms registered under handicraft or handloom categories, & any violation & misbranding including by way of pasting fake QR codes and pulling out the machine made labels shall attract relevant clauses and provisions of the Quality Control Act, J&K Registration of Tourist Trade Act, GI Act as well as the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A notice issued by Deputy Director (Quality Control) Directorate of Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir reminded dealers of their legal obligation to exclusively sell genuine Kashmir handicrafts, as undertaken in their registration affidavits. It also highlighted concerns over misbranding, citing a recent case where a dealer was blacklisted for affixing a fake QR code on a machine-made carpet.
The notice said that during recent inspections conducted by them, it was found that several dealers have violated the extant rules by displaying and selling machine-made products misrepresented as genuine Kashmir handmade handicrafts.
“Such malpractices undermine the authenticity and reputation of Kashmiri handicrafts,” the notice said.
It added that in response to these violations, this office has imposed penalties on defaulting dealers in accordance with the provisions of the J&K Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1978.
The department said that Kashmir handicrafts are registered under the Geographical Indication of Goods Act (G.I.), Registry of India, Chennai, to protect their authenticity.
“To curb misbranding and promote genuine products, the department has introduced G.I. labelling for various crafts. However, it has come to our notice that a dealer recently affixed a fake QR label on a machine-made carpet, misrepresenting it as a genuine handmade product. Consequently, the said dealer has been blacklisted and deregistered,” the notice read.
The notice directed the dealers to ensure within seven days from the issuance of this notice, that their showroom exclusively displays and sells genuine Kashmir handicraft products and that no machine-made products are displayed or sold.
“Ensure all relevant documents, including G.I. labelling certifications, are prominently displayed at your showroom for inspection and sale purposes,” the notice said.
The department said that machine-made products are banned from being sold or displayed in Kashmir Handicraft Showrooms.
“Any violation & misbranding including by way of pasting fake QR codes and pulling out the machine-made labels shall attract relevant clauses/ provisions of the Quality Control Act, J&K Registration of Tourist Trade Act, GI Act as well as the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita,” the notice said,
It said that failure to comply with directives within the stipulated period will result in appropriate action under the provisions of the J&K Tourist Trade Act, 1978, including potential penalties, deregistration, blacklisting or other legal measures as deemed necessary.
“Dealers are advised to strictly adhere to the terms of their registration and G.I. regulations to uphold the integrity of Kashmir handicrafts and avoid further action. Further, they shall modify signages of their showrooms by prominently displaying that they only sell Kashmir Handicrafts and do not deal in machine-made products,” the notice read.
