The indefinite shutdown of the Kanpur tannery industry, which provides direct and indirect employment to about a million people, is staring down at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the industrial town of Kanpur, ahead of polling in the fourth phase on Monday.
The nearly 150-year-old Kanpur tannery sector, part of the Rs 12,000 crore of the composite Kanpur leather belt, which also includes adjacent Unnao district, were served with the notice for closure between December 15, 2018 and March 15, 2019 for ensuring cleaner Ganga during the 2019 Kumbh Mela at downstream Prayagraj (Allahabad).
However, even after the culmination of