Kanpur: It was never imagined by the tannery owners that they would think of moving to as far as Kolkata for the survival of the leather business. Gradual but constant fall in the leather trade and long closure of the tanneries compel them to seek a better opportunity of the business in another state.
It has been reported that as many as 18 leather businessmen have entered into an agreement with the West Bengal government. This investment comes to Rs 400 Crore. The immediate major repercussion of this initiative was that more than one thousand workers would be rendered jobless.
Zafar Firoz having an expert eye on the industry said six have even been allotted land for establishing the unit.
The West Bengal government has promised them to provide better facilities along with cheaper space. Mamata govt was quite helpful in giving infrastructure to the leather industrialists. She was helping erect CTEP near Kolkata. The reduced expense of export by sea route would give much relief to them.
After Agra, Kanpur is another leather hub in Uttar Pradesh. Nearly 12.47% of the state's total export covers the leather product.
Reacting on the persisting adverse situation, Asad Iraqi, tannery owner, pointed out the adverse atmosphere led us to move to Kolkatta. He expressed that a total of 40 businessmen had applied for setting up their business from Kanpur. Some have got the chance while others would also get a green signal sooner.
