Kolkata, May 23: With the pollution control board giving the green signal, the much-awaited Calcutta Leather Complex, the largest integrated leather complex in Asia, is all set to start operation. The 'consent to operate' for a total of 20 individual tanneries have been received from the West Bengal pollution control board.
With this the final hurdle for the prestigious CLC has been cleared, according to Avishek Dalmiya, Director M -l Dalmiya, the bot party of the project. He said the PCB clearence has been given to the tanneries with the condition that they pre-treat effluents as per the procedure specified by the board.
He said the start of operation of these tanneries would give a fillip to the full-fledged operation of the CLC as a large number of these are in various stages of completion. The clearence from the PCB came along with the completion of work at the two modules of the common effluent treatment plant (CETP), which could handle the effluents to be released by the tanneries.
The complex has been set up at Bantala, in the eastern outskirts, at the directive of the supreme court for relocating at least 530 tanneries in and around Kolkata. With the start of operation at the CLC, the West Bengal government was expected to launch operations to relocate the tanneries still operating in Topsia, Tiljala and Tangra areas.
Bureau Report