The city of Kanpur has ordered all of its tanneries and water polluting industrial units to stop operations from Sunday midnight January 23 until January 26 in order to allow the city to take part in the holy bath in the Ganges on the occasion of Basant Panchami. Similarly, these units will remain closed for Maghi Purnima too from February 2 to 5 and from February 15 to 18 for the holy bath on Mahashivaratri. Regional officer of the pollution control board Amit Mishra said that nine teams have been formed at the district level to monitor the closure of tanneries. The teams are conducting surprise inspections and sealing any tannery found violating the orders due to upcoming bathing days of Magh Mela. More than 400 tanneries and more than 300 industries of the city will remain closed completely. Orders have already been issued to all the concerned industries, and if any industry is found violating the norms wherein garbage and filth is released in the Ganges, then that industry will be immediately shut down.
