Virendra Singh Rawat
Lucknow / Mar 30, 2021
The Uttar Pradesh green watchdog has ordered the shutdown of 94 leather tanneries or nearly a third of total 268 operational units in the leather hub of Kanpur.
The decision was recently taken by the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to arrest the flow of untreated leather industry effluent in the water bodies, including river Ganga.
Kanpur accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the domestic leather tannery output and is the major supplier of leather belts, holster and horse saddles.
Kanpur leather industry, including tanneries and leather goods manufacturers, estimated at Rs 12,000 crore, provides direct and indirect employment to nearly a million people in Kanpur and adjoining Unnao districts. The Kanpur cluster is estimated to generate Rs 6,000 crore worth of exports to the Gulf, Europe, China, Iran etc.
“The closure order will not only dampen the sentiments in the Kanpur leather industry but lead to the crash in the prices of raw hide locally,” Small Tanners’ Association member Nayyar Jamal said.
Earlier, these 94 tanneries were issued show-cause notice pertaining to the discharge of effluents before the green watchdog finally decided to pass the shutdown order dated March 18, 2021.
Last year, the UPPCB citing National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives, had imposed restrictions on Kanpur tanneries to curb water pollution, and allowed half of the tanneries to operate during one fortnight with the remaining allowed to operate in the second fortnight.
Following the lockdown last year, the Kanpur leather industry witnessed a dwindling order book, both from domestic and foreign customers. The local tanneries generate finished hide for a variety of leather goods, including shoes, upholstery, apparels etc.
While, the upholstery leather catering the automobile and furnishing segments had fizzled out owing to lockdown, the tanneries were left to contend with the category of safety shoes used by the security forces, such as military, police etc.
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