15 tanneries shut down in UP

Complying with the Allahabad High Court's orders, the Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the closure of 15 tanneries in Kanpur.

These are located along the banks of the Ganga in Kanpur and Unnao. Modi Paper Mill at Modinagar in Ghaziabad has also been closed down, to control the pollution level in the Ganga.

The UP government, under pollution control laws, has also served notice to 16 distilleries, nine paper mills, and one chemical unit, one dyeing unit, one pharmaceutical unit and one distillery, to stop discharging industrial effluents in the Ganga.

After the UP government took up the issue with the Uttaranchal government, the latter ordered the closure of six paper mills located in Udhamsingh Nagar and Hardwar.

Kanpur-based tanneries facing closure are Ameen Enterprise, MI Saddle Works, Aslam Tanneries, Mugeeze Tannery, SM Leather Finishers, Pahalwan Tannery, Shoib Leather Works, Iqbal Ahmed Tannery, Sunny Leathers, Firdaus Tannery, Taj Traders, Sahabuddin Tannery, Lisa Leathers, Liberty Tanners, etc.

The Allahabad High Court on January 27 rapped the Uttar Pradesh government for allowing an uncontrolled flow of sewage into the Ganges, particularly at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the now extinct Saraswati at Allahabad, where Hindus come for a holy dip.

A division bench comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice S R Alam directed the UP Pollution Control Board and the Allahabad district magistrate to ensure that dumping city sewage in the Ganges was stopped immediately. The bench has asked the district magistrate to submit a report on January 31.

The court's directive was a response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case, highlighting the decision of a group of sadhus to boycott their dip in the river on Mauni Amawasya. The auspicious date was January 28.

Thousands of sadhus are camping at the Sangam at Allahababd to participate in the 28-day-long annual Magh fair that opened on January 14. At least 300,000 Hindus were expected to attend the religious fair.

A delegation of sadhus had called on Governor TV Rajeswar and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, seeking their intervention to rid the Ganga of its increased pollution, which was resulting in a reduced flow of water in the river.

They also threatened to boycott their traditional bath on key days including the one on January 28. Sadhus in Allahabad have been agitating over changes in the colour of the water, which has allegedly turned red.

Uttar Pradesh ministers and officials are blaming the Uttaranchal government. "The Uttaranchal government is to be blamed for the rising level of pollution in the river,''

Irrigation Minister Munna Singh Chauhan said. He said paper mills at Kashipur in Udhamsingh Nagar of Uttaranchal were responsible for the pollution in the Ganges, because "they discharge chemical waste directly into the River Dhela".