PCB axe falls on 150 Kanpur tanneries

KANPUR: Barely a week after Supreme Court ordered closure of tanneries in Kolkata, the Central Pollution Control Board is determined to do the same with the polluting tanneries in the city.
It has asked the the state board to get tough and shut down about 150 chrome tanning units in the Jajmau area. In a week’s time all defaulting units will be closed according to the state board authorities.
The chairman of the state pollution control board, R K Sharma, last week received orders from the chairman of CPCB, Dilip Vishwas to take immediate action against all the polluting leather units of Kanpur which had not installed chromium recovery plant so far.Vishwas had visited Kanpur in August 2000 and held a series of meetings with the tanners, board officials and the senior district authorities to check the pollution from the tanneries.
The pollution board had been issuing warnings and instruction to the tanneries for last two years and asking them to instal chromium recovery plants, but these warnings have gone unheeded. However, most of the units said that they did not let any chromium into Ganga. Besides, some of them also claimed that they had already paid their share of money to the pollution board to set up a common treatment plant.
According to an officer of the central pollution board in Kanpur, B P Shukla, there are about 210 chrome tanning units in Jajmau area. Of these only 47 units had installed recovery treatment plants. The board had closed seven polluting units last year to begin with. But that did not deter the tanneries from going ahead with installing the plant. “This time we are determined to close down the defaulting units. The district administration has already been told about it, “ he said.
Reacting to the decision to close the units, Samajwadi Party MLA, Haji Mushtaq Solanki who owns a tannery said that several thousands would be rendered jobless if the tanneries are closed.“The tanners would hold a meeting soon to discuss the emergency arising out of the decision. The government wants to create unemployment in the city.� was how he viewed the whole issue. Leader of small tanners association Babu Bhai said; “We had already paid money for common treatment plant and we are not going to pay any more money to the board. We will fight against this move,� he said.