Tannery owners to move court against NGT’S closure order

JALANDHAR: Terming the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order to close down 19 tanneries as ‘unjustified’, the Punjab Leather Federation plans to move the Punjab and Haryana high court. In a recent order, the NGT had ordered the closure of these tanneries and also sought a comprehensive report on remaining 41 tanneries at the leather complex.

The tanneries have claimed that the NGT has issued these orders on the basis of a ‘motivated’ complaint without even taking the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) into confidence. Owners claim that the industry employs over 20,000 people and if the state government failed to find way out, hundreds of workers will lose jobs.

“The NGT order is illogical. We spend ₹50 lakh every month on the maintenance of the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) installed in the leather complex to treat water from tanneries. This same water gets treated again in a PPCB plant,” claimed Parveen Kumar, president, Punjab Leather Federation.

HC MONITORING ISSUE

PPCB sources said the Punjab and Haryana high court was already monitoring the matter and had formed a committee comprising Jalandhar deputy commissioner, a PPCB member, sewerage board and a member of Central Leather Research Institute to examine the functioning of the leather complex and give a report. Sources claim the complainant Darshan Singh of Chimyara village, does not exist.

“A former PPCB superintending engineer, transferred from Jalandhar — on complaints of corruption filed by tanneries factory owners — is behind this. He is close to a senior NGT member,” said a senior PPCB official.

PPCB Chairman Kahan Singh Pannu said, “We are examining the NGT’S order and we will take action as per the law.”