Shilparamam to be shared by both states of Telangana and AP

Hyderabad: The state bifurcation has spared Shilparamam for now. At least for the next six months, the cultural centre will be shared by both the states. This is because it comes under Schedule 10 of the state.

To encourage weavers and craftsmen, more urban haats (small markets for craftsmen) will be set up at Kakinada and Eluru. Warangal, Anantapur, Vijayawada and Nellore will have units of Shilparamam set up at the district headquarters.

“We already have seven units of Shilparamam at Vizag, Tirupati, Anantapur and Kadapa and we will be starting four more across the state. And in places where these units are not set up, we have urban haats that act as a market for craftsmen,” said V. Madhusudhan, officer on special duty, department of tourism. The Shilparamam at Hyderabad recorded a 20 per cent increase in footfall during the daytime this year.

“Last year, till the end of May, we had received about 1,17,000 visitors, whereas from May 2013 to May 2014, the footfall has increased to 2,00,000. We owe this to new features like zorbing, wall climbing and more games. We have also renovated the tribal village. We are also working on popularising the Night Bazaar,” he said.

He added that 17 new scrap sculptures made by students and sculptors from across the state will be installed at Sculpture Park in Shilparamam.