Five more tanneries to be closed down in Kanpur

Kanpur, Jan 27 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Pollution ControlBoard has ordered closure of five more tanneries here whichwere discharging their sewage in river Ganga despite severalnotices against it, officials said today.

With this, as many as 69 tanneries in the city have beenasked to shut their operations for polluting the river.

According to the Board, despite repeated notices, thesetanneries had failed to install primary treatment plants intheir units and were discharging polluted water in the river.

Pollution Control Board''s regional officer Radhey Shyamsaid the orders to close the tanneries have been received andthe procedure to shut them down will start from tomorrow.

The permission to shut down nine more pollutingtanneries has been sought from the UPPCB, he said.

Owners of many tanneries claimed that implementation ofthis decision would affect nearly 50 thousand labourers andleather business worth around Rs 2,500 crore.