Workers counting cut pieces of raw leather at a godown at a wholesale market in Kanpur. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav) The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday claimed that work in Kanpur’s “Mega Leather Park” project is progressing fast and will soon be a “game changer” for the district.
The project is said to be the first leather park of the country and will come up in Ramaipur village of Kanpur.
According to the government, 235 acres of land has already been acquired for the mega leather park project, which was cleared by the Union Ministry of Commerce last year.
The government claimed that over 150 tanneries will run from the park, which will provide direct employment to about 50,000 people and indirect employment to nearly 1.5 lakh people.
The park was planned to facilitate manufacturing of leather products, including shoes, purses and jackets, and also to promote the export of such goods. It was first proposed in 2012, soon after then Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government had come to power, along with another such project in Hardoi district. However, despite various attempts, the project did not take off.
The proposal to set up the leather park in Kanpur again got a nod from the Centre last year. The project is significant as the tanneries in Kanpur have been under scanner following rising pollution in the Ganga. The project is expected to boost the leather industry while checking pollution.
Sources in the government said there were some hurdles regarding land, which have been resolved, and the project is likely to see the light of day in the next few months.
Meanwhile, the government claimed that Kanpur will soon be turned into a textile and leather city. The government has received 23 proposals for setting up industries in Kanpur city as well as Kanpur rural areas. It claimed that nearly 7,000 people will get employment once these projects worth around Rs 4,000 crore are completed and start functioning.
According to officials, RP Polypacks and Kanpur Plastics Limited have set up textile factories in Kanpur city and Kanpur (Rural) at the cost of Rs 150 crore Rs 200 crore respectively and have already started production. Sparsh India Private Limited has invested Rs 600 crore for the construction of a plastic factory in Kanpur (Rural), while Rimjhim Steel Company is building a steel rolling mill in Kanpur (Rural) at the cost of Rs 550 crore among others, they added.
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