Surat Diamond Bourse and Bharat Diamond Bourse members meet to shift at Khajod

MUMBAI : In a meeting of members of Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) and Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) here on Thursday, traders requested that a Jain temple be built on BDB premises, and a room to be set aside for them to have supper.

As part of their efforts to convince diamond traders to move their business to the SDB located in Khajod on the outskirts of Surat, SDB Chairman Govind Dholakia of SRK Exports, Vice-Chairman Lalji Patel of Dharmanandan Diamonds, President Arvind Shah and Vice-President Ashesh Doshi, were in Mumbai to meet BDB traders and brokers.

BDB president Anup Mehta, vice-chairman of Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council Kirit Bhansali, and other members met SDB members. Before this, the SDB members held two meetings with traders and brokers at Surat’s Mahidarpura and Varachha diamond markets, to convince them to shift to Khajod.

In the meeting, Dholakia appealed to BDB traders to open offices in SDB. The traders, many of who are from the Jain community, sought cubicles. “The Jain traders asked a temple and a hall to eat before sunset. We have assured them that their issues would be looked into,” Lalji Patel said on Friday. Jains practise Chovyar, which is having evening meal before sunset.

Jayesh Labdi, a trader with BDB, said: “The meeting was good… Those present in the meeting, who owned offices in SDB, assured that they will start interior work in their offices to get open the offices by July 7 (marking the holy day of Ashadhi Beej).”

He added, “Diamond merchants who own offices in BDB will not shift their offices to SDB, but they will start operating from Surat as well. While one person will look after the Mumbai office, another will look after the Surat office.”

Lalji Patel said, “We received positive response in our meeting… all have assured that they will start their offices from July 7. The committee members of SDB will also start operations on July 7. All the issues raised by the brokers and traders of BDB will be looked into.”

Source : Indian Express