Tanneries return to work, reviving Kanpur's Rs 12,000 cr leather industry

Kanpur's tanneries shut down last year for Kumbh and were not allowed to reopen because of environmental concerns.

Kanpur's leather tanneries that were closed for Kumbh, the world's largest religious gathering held this year in January in Prayagraj, are slowing returning to life.

The tanneries were closed from December 15, 2018 to March 15 to ensure Ganga river was clean downstream in Prayagraj ( formerly Allahabad) and most of them remained shut later because the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) refused to give them no-objection certificates.

Kanpur's leather hub called Jajmau has an estimated 267 tanneries. As many as 239 tanneries closed last year and 28 continued to operate as they were reportedly based on a dry tanning process.

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