A clean break
Before the traditional holy dip, or Magh Mela, into the Ganges next week, tanneries have been asked by authorities to stop leather cleaning to keep the river as clean as possible clean for the massive pilgrimage.
According to officials of the Regional Pollution Control Board, the tannery association and tannery owners held meetings where they concluded that leather-cleaning processes will suspend for three days, from January 11, in the run-up to the holy dip in order to ensure that harmful chemicals don't spill into the Ganges when the dip begins on January 14.
There are around 350 tanneries in the region that employ 20,000 people. And tannery owners have been informed that if they breach the order of the cleaning process on the given dates, strict action would be taken.
