Nine CETPs associated with leather industries in Tamil Nadu to soon be modernized

Nine common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) associated with leather industries in Tamil Nadu will be modernized soon, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute Director B Chandrasekaran has said.

There are about 18 CETPs located in leather industry corridors across the country and 13 are associated with nearly 600 tanneries in the southern state, he said. "Nine of the 13 plants in Tamil Nadu have been selected to receive about Rs 300 crore from the Central government in the first phase," Chandrasekaran told PTI.

Most of them are about 10-15 years old and needed modernization, he said adding work on the remaining plants would be completed by 2020. Speaking on the sidelines of 76th CSIR Foundation Day here Thursday, he said the modernization measures were aimed at making the leather sector sustainable, not only in environmental terms but also to make them economically viable.

Five other CETPs are located in Kolkata, Jalandhar, Jaipur, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative is part of the Commerce Ministry's Indian Footwear, Leather and Accessories Development Programme.

He said an amount of Rs 782 crore has been allocated for the programme for a three-year period from 2017. CLRI will offer technical assistance to the center on the project, while State pollution control boards would ensure smooth functioning.