Tanneries allowed to operate in city but with 50% capacity

Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has given permission to tanneries of the city to run their units uninterrupted but with a condition that they would be operate at 50% capacity and follow the roster released by the board for holy baths in coming days.
The letter to this effect, issued by the UPPCB to the Regional Pollution Control Board (RPCB) Kanpur on Tuesday evening, was received by the latter on Wednesday, said RPCB officer S B Franklin.
"It is a big relief for the tannery industry. Now they can run their business properly", said an office-bearer of Small Tanners' Association.
After a long time, we got some relief, and now we can fulfill our international commitments, he added.
Last week, the RPCB gave notices to the tannery owners to shut their units from February 19 as the limit granted to them had expired on that day, and that all tanneries would remain closed till further orders.
Earlier, there were around 500 tanneries in the Jajmau area of the city but due to back-to-back closure at present around 280 units are in working condition. The fate of the tanneries was hanging in balance after the state government had closed them on November 18.
The RPCB official while talking to TOI stated that UPPCB has given permission with certain conditions that are different for each tannery. The RPCB office would serve the order regarding the operation of the units in a couple of days after examining the condition of each tannery, he said.
The UPPCB, he said, had allowed 255 tanneries to operate in November 2019 for around two months with 50 percent capacity while permitted 28 tanneries to run even in the closure period with certain specific conditions, he added.
Firoz Alam of Small Tanneries Association said, at last, the tanneries have been given permission to do their business because they are following the norms set by the UPPCB and RPCB. They would get permission letter in a day or two.
"The UPPCB has given sanction to even those 11 tanneries which were closed since last one year for not following the set standards”, he added.
As around 70 percent tanneries were exporters they would now be able to fulfill their international commitments, Firoz said. General secretary, Leather Industries Association, Asad Iraqi while hailing the decision of the board to grant permission said that it would pave way for the leather industry to flourish.