It is official now: Uttar Pradesh government, supported by the Indian court of Environmental Crimes (NGT), has ordered the closure of the leather tanning district, located in Kanpur-Unnao, for a three-month period. Such measure, which has entered into force since last December, though they feared it even before summer, will actually stop 264 tanneries, placed in the Indian local area, and their leather processing, for 90 days at least. As a matter of fact, disruption will go on for a longer period, considering preliminary operations ahead of the actual closure and subsequent activities immediately following the reopening of tanneries. The aim of Uttar Pradesh government is to make sure that Hindu followers may benefit from a “clean” Ganges river, looking ahead at Kumbh Mela ritual bathing, scheduled in January 2019. According to the Indian press, the district association of tanners, who are already being notified of the closure order, are ready to take legal action against the provision.
