Glue factories face closure

KANPUR:The axe of Union environment and forest ministry has now fallen on city’s three dozen glue factories which are a major source of polluting air and land of Jajmau and adjoining areas besides Ganga waters.
The Central Pollution Control Board on Monday issued closure notice to about a dozen glue factories. ‘‘Action against 50-odd big and small units would be taken in the next phase,’’informed B P Shukla , zonal officer of central pollution board .Shukla said many unregistered glue factories were operating in the Jajmau area and were, besides tanneries, major source of pollution.
It may be recalled that K C Mishra,special secretary of the ministry,on Sunday had categorically stated that there would be no compromise with environmental degradation and public health and polluting leather units of Jajmau would be closed.
Glue factories produce adhesives,organic manure and chiken feed from the remains of hides and slush produced by tanneries.The fumes emanated from these factories ,when hides are boiled, discharge foul smell and pollute the air ,much to the dislike and annoyance of nearly 50,000 residents of the area.
Acting on a writ filed by Rakesh Jaiswal,an executive of Eco Friend,the high court had ordered closure of two glue factories of Bhuria Ghat in Jajmau in 1988 . Jaiswal informed the Times News Network that owners of these units have shifted their factories to nearby villages and are running these factories with impunity.
About three dozen glue factories scattered in five-kilometre area of Jajamau have no system to flow their highly toxic water into any drain or nullah. With the result this polluted water, containing chromium, flows on roads and then goes directly into the Ganga.
The indifference of the local authorities could be gauged by the fact that two glue factories were established in front of a jal nigam plant in Jajmau but no action was taken against their owners.Dr Biplove Chaudhery ,an environmentalist of Eco Friends of India, said,‘‘Condition of workers of glue factories is grim as they are directly exposed to all kinds of health hazards.’’