No land available for shifting tanneries: UPSIDC tells NGT

The Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) today informed the National Green Tribunal that there is no land available in Banthar Leather Technology Park at Unnao for shifting tanneries located on the banks of river Ganga at Kanpur.
UPSIDC told the green panel that 100 per cent of the land at Banthar was occupied and most of the units have commenced their operations except few which are seeking extension of time for payment of money for the allotted land.
Countering the claims of Ganga activist M C Mehta, who had alleged that the UP government was misleading the tribunal and adequate land was available for shifting tanneries, the counsel appearing for UPSIDC said that not even a single plot was empty in the park.

Mehta claimed that "open loot" was going on as land has been allotted to tanneries which have not even set up their operations.
He said that only 15 tanneries were operating at Unnao and most of leather units operating at Jajmau cluster in Kanpur can be shifted to either Banthar leather park or to another area in Unnao.
Leather Technology Park has been developed on 233 acres of land at cost of Rs 24 crore, near Kanpur at Banthar, Unnao on Kanpur-Lucknow Highway for setting up tanneries and leather goods units.

Out of 233 acres, 69 acres of land is used for setting of tanneries, 47 acres for setting up manufacturing units for leather goods, 22 acres for green belt and 30 acres for CETP (Common Effluent Treatment Plant) and Solid Waste Management Project.

The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue tomorrow.
Earlier, the UP government had told the NGT that the possibility of shifting the tanneries located on the banks of river Ganga at Kanpur to some other place was almost "next to impossible" due to lack of land.
During the last hearing, the tribunal had slammed Uttar Pradesh government and its agencies over cleaning of the Ganga and asked them to submit a detailed plan on how they intend to spend money allotted by the Centre under the "Namami Gange" programme.
The green panel has divided the work of cleaning the river into five segments -- Gomukh to Haridwar, Haridwar to Unnao (segment B of Phase-I), Unnao to border of Uttar Pradesh, border of Uttar Pradesh to border of Jharkhand and border of Jharkhand to the Bay of Bengal.