No tanneries in leather cluster: CLE

CHENNAI: The Council for Leather Exports functioning under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday said the proposed leather cluster in Thiruvannamalai would not pose any environmental threat.“The Mega Leather Cluster will not involve any leather processing, as tanneries will not form part of it,” the council said refuting some media reports raising environmental concerns about the proposed project.The cluster will comprise of “dry” operations consisting of leather product manufacturing units, the council said. Sources in the CLE said that the cluster at Thiruvannamalai was being established at a cost `160 crore and would enhance investments in the leather and allied industries.Tech Demonstration Centre on CardsAs announced in the previous budget session, the State government is now in the process of establishing a Technology Demonstration Centre in coordination with institutions such as the Anna University and the Central Leather Research Institution (CLRI), Minister for Environment B V Ramana said in Chennai on Tuesday. He said that such a centre would showcase the latest technology available for environment management which could be adopted by the industries here to thr meet standards set by the environment agencies.