Chinese-Owned Tanneries Face Extinction Calcutta

Economic and environmental factors may soon deprive the glorious melting pot that is Calcutta of one of its most interesting constituents. The Chinese community, which has been virtually synonymous with tanneries in the city for over a century, is today witnessing a steady depletion in its ranks.

In the recent past, many Chinese have emigrated from Calcutta following inroads into their erstwhile monopoly by local citizens, who have been lured by the immense export potential of the leather industry. The cool climes of Canada have proved irresistible for many young Chinese searching for an alternative livelihood and lifestyle.

There are about 230 Chinese-owned tanneries left, out of Calcuttas total of 550. At least 30 tanners are awaiting migration certificates from the Canadian authorities, while some others plan to change their trade because of financial constraints.

 

The few survivors who have managed to hold out against the tide of events may be further thinned by a possible forcible closure of several tanneries, whose owners have failed to comply with a Supreme Court order to relocate their units. The apex court had ordered the relocation of these units on the grounds that they were contributing significantly to Calcuttas pollution.

More than 80 Chinese-owned tanneries have ignored the Supreme Court order, thereby putting themselves in grave danger of being forced to shut shop.

The close-knit community is today divided over the issue, with one prominent member denouncing other community leaders for misleading a section of the community. This section has taken an anti-relocation stand as it has purposely been kept in the dark about the seriousness of a Supreme Court order, laments the worried community elder.

Most of the tanneries are concentrated on the eastern outskirts of the city, in the localities of Tangra (267 units), Tiljala (223 units), Topsia (48 units) and Pagaldanga (12 units). The Chinese units are clustered together in Tangra and Tiljala.

About 90 per cent of the tanneries use the crome process which has a much higher polluting potential than the vegetable process which is the norm in most other countries. These tanneries have been operating without any approval from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board.

The board had issued a show-cause notice in 1992 asking why the factories should not be closed down for not initiating pollution control measures in accordance with the Supreme Court order of December 1, 1992.

After four years of deliberations, the apex court on December 19, 1996, ordered the relocation of all the tanneries to the proposed Calcutta Leather Complex, which will be set up by the West Bengal government.

The complex is planned to be set up on 1,100 acres of land, spread over Karaidanga, Gangapur and Bhatipotta areas of South 24 Parganas district, 25 km off Calcutta.The tannery owners were asked to pay Rs 10,000 pollution fine before February 28, 1997, failing which their factories would be closed by March 15, 1997, and would also be liable for contempt of court.

The tanneries were required to deposit 25 per cent of the cost of land before February 28, 1997 to the West Bengal government for their relocation in the complex, failing which they would be closed on April 15, 1997. Thus, the units could be forced to shut down any day now. The Supreme Court has ordered the state government to give possession of land allotted to tanneries before April 15, 1997. September 30, 1997, has been named as the deadline for completion of relocation and shifting processes, after which the functioning of the tanneries at their current site has to be mandatorily halted.

About 470 tanneries have already complied with the court order, with Rs 50 lakh having already been collected as pollution fine and Rs 9.13 crore as deposit against land cost.

However, the chances of the deadline for relocation being met are rapidly receding with every day. Central Pollution Control Board secretary S P Chakarabarti has observed in a report to the Supreme Court that although 90 per cent of the required land has been acquired by the state government, land development is yet to be initiated.

The requisite infrastructure development in the complex is nowhere near where it should have been by now. The approach road from Calcutta is still incomplete and no details of the common effluent treatment plant are available. Clearly, the relocation of the existing tanneries cannot be completed before at least another 18 months to two years. Accordingly, the state government is expected to seek more time from the Supreme Court for carrying out the relocation.

However, the tanneries which fail to pay the pollution fine and deposit continue to face closure. And with all these erring tanneries belonging to the Chinese, several members of the community may soon face a long march of a different kind.