Lok Sabha elections 2019: Kanpur tanneries' shutdown stares at ruling BJP

Kanpur is among the major domestic leather processing hubs apart from Jalandhar, Kolkata, Chennai etc

The indefinite shutdown of the Kanpur tannery industry, that provides direct and indirect employment to about a million people, is staring at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the industrial town of Kanpur, ahead of polling in the 4th phase on Monday.

The nearly 150-year-old Kanpur tannery sector, part of the Rs 12,000 crore composite Kanpur leather belt, which also includes adjacent Unnao district, were served with the notice for closure between December 15, 2018 to March 15, 2019 for ensuring cleaner Ganga during the 2019 Kumbh Mela at downstream Prayagraj (Allahabad).

However, even after the culmination of the Kumbh last