Lahar Singh Siroya, Member of Rajya Sabha, has urged the establishment of a ‘Crafts Village’ (Shilpa Gram) near Channapatna to promote, protect and promote the world famous GI marked Channapatna wooden toys.
“The Bangalore-Mysuru Expressway has disrupted their heritage and business ecosystem for some time,” he added while raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha. .
Iconic, globally recognized traditions such as Channapatna’s GI-marked wooden toys and regional culinary heritage have seen business decline by as much as 70-80%, he said.
“Building world-class roads must not inadvertently destroy the vibrant economic and cultural fabric of our smaller towns. I have raised this concern before. However, the situation of our artisans remains largely unchanged,” he said.
He said that the Karnataka government needs to allocate a small plot and the rest will follow automatically. “I have spoken to local artisan groups as well as relevant authorities in the Union Government. He urged Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to respond positively to the idea as it falls in his home district.
Published – 11 Feb 2026 22:40 IST