Action and reaction
Pursuant to a Supreme Court directive, the power supply of more than 40 tanneries in Kolkata was disconnected on November 17. The move, which sparked strong protests by workers, was necessitated because these units had failed to meet the October 31 deadline for their relocation.
A team from the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) cut off power supply to 39 tanneries in Tiljala and four in Topsia. Officials of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, the state commerce and industries department and West Bengal Police accompanied the CESC staff.
The following day thousands of tannery workers took to the streets, blocking traffic at four intersections. They alleged that infrastructure at the relocation site in Bantala was not yet ready for the industries to shift there. Babu Dutta, general secretary of Calcutta Leather Tannery Workmen's Union, claimed that there was no effluent treatment plant. He also expressed doubts about the supply of water (the daily consumption is about 30 million litres). State industries minister Nirupam Sen, however, countered: "The infrastructure is in place in Bantala and the tanneries will have to move.'
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