Kanpur (UP), June 5 (IANS): The Kanpur district administration has ordered 138 tanneries to suspend their production for 15 days on the grounds that they have been discharging effluents above the permissible limits into the Ganga river.

The regional pollution control board had lodged a complaint with the district administration that the tanneries, connected to the Sheetla Bazar and Budhia Ghat pumping stations, were discharging pollutants above the permissible limits.

Kanpur District Magistrate Brahmadeo Ram Tiwari said that further action would be taken against the tannery owners if they were found operating their units in the suspended period.

Regional pollution control board officer, S.B. Franklin, said that effluent discharge flow had become high after which the matter was reported to the district administration, which had asked the tanneries connected to the two pumping stations to suspend their operations for 15 days.

He said the administration had also ordered to run the tanneries according to a roster.

Under the roster programme, 120 tanneries would operate in one fortnight while the remaining 138 will finction in the second fortnight. This roster system would continue till July, he further said.

The government had earlier given permission to operate the units with certain restrictions and Covid-19 protocols, on the demand of the tannery owners.

Kanpur has four pumping stations -- Sheetla Bazar, Budhia Ghat, Chabileypurwa and Wazidpur -- which are connected to 120, 18, 25 and 95 tanneries, respectively.

Since operations of 138 tanneries have been suspended now, the remaining 120 can continue to operate.

Meanwhile, the General secretary of the Leather Industries Welfare Association, Asad Iraqi, claimed that the correct figures were not being presented and the officials were confusing the authorities.

He said a delegation of the association would soon meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and apprise him of the correct facts.