Unresolved Tannery Pollution Accelerates Decline of Hakka Chinese Leather Factories in Kolkata
The Hakka Chinese leather industry in Kolkata faces severe decline as environmental pollution forces factory relocations. Many cannot afford the move, leading to business closures and community dispersal.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 18, 2026 at 17:46
- 🔍 Collected: April 18, 2026 at 18:01 (15 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 18:20 (18 min after Collected)
Central News
Kolkata Hakka Chinese Feature 2 (CNA Reporter Li Chin-wei, Kolkata, 18th) As a car approaches Bantala, Kolkata's new leather factory zone, a pungent stench invades the nostrils, choking and unbearable. Hakka Chinese Chung Chia-hai said with a heavy nasal tone: "This is why the leather factories were forced to move here. Now people here are already complaining too. Perhaps everyone will have to relocate again in the future." His words captured the helplessness of the Hakka Chinese who wander from place to place, relying on leather factories for their livelihood.
In the past, leather tanneries could be seen everywhere in Tangra, the Chinese community in Kolkata, India. Hakka Chinese accumulated wealth by opening tanneries and put down roots in Kolkata.
Nearly 80% of India's population is Hindu. For Hindus, because the mount of Lord Shiva is a cow, the vast majority revere cows immensely.
Out of respect for cows, most Indians do not eat beef, and slaughtering cows for leather is seen as highly disrespectful. Only Muslims or other non-Hindus engage in such work.
Chen Hsueh-liang, a community leader of the Hakka Chinese in Kolkata, told the CNA reporter that early Hakka Chinese immigrants to India started tanneries and entered the leather business because they lacked religious taboos against slaughtering cows.
At that time in India, few people engaged in this kind of work. Hakka Chinese sensed the business opportunity, and word spread quickly. From upstream leather tanneries to midstream shoe factories and downstream shoe stores, almost all Hakka Chinese livelihoods were tied to the leather industry.
Chung Chia-hai, whose family used to run a tannery and who is currently an agent importing European chemical agents into India, pointed out that the vast majority of Indians are unwilling to engage in the leather industry due to their faith. Only a few, especially those with lower socio-economic status seeking basic sustenance, have to rely on such jobs to support their families.
However, the foul odors and wastewater produced during the tanning process caused pollution issues and sparked protests, prompting the Indian government to intervene and require Hakka Chinese to move their tanneries to Bantala, further away from the city center.
Hakka Chinese have established themselves in Tangra for generations relying on the leather business. A minority who could afford to relocate moved to Bantala to start over. But the majority lacked the means to move and could only shut down their tanneries, rent or sell their factories and land, and seek other ways to survive.
Li Chi-sheng, a fourth-generation Hakka Chinese in Kolkata, said: "Only those who made big money running tanneries in the past have the means to build new tanneries and do business in a new place. About 80% of the Hakka Chinese can no longer engage in leather production and tannery operations like before."
In the Tangra area, people gradually moved out for their livelihoods, and the locale fell into decline. Community leader Chen Hsueh-liang noted that with increased educational opportunities and globalization, Hakka Chinese also gained the chance to study abroad and explore the world. "Many who go abroad for studies end up leaving India and staying there."
Chen Hsueh-liang said: "Many places have declined, and there are fewer and fewer shops on certain streets. Where I opened my shoe store, there were originally 14 shops opened by Hakka Chinese on the same street, but today only two remain."
Tannery boss Liao Sheng-lung, who took over and expanded his family's leather business, is considered one of the successful cases of starting anew in Bantala.
Liao told the CNA reporter that his father passed away suddenly when he was around 20, leaving him no choice but to take over the business. At that time, the Indian government demanded the relocation of tanneries, returning everything to zero. He rebought land, built factories, and bought machines. "I've worked with leather my whole life; it's all I know. This is my passion, so I can only keep doing it."
Liao Sheng-lung said he is quite a "perfectionist" and pursues perfection in everything. "I want this place to be different from other tanneries, to be brighter and better ventilated. I also strictly control employees' overtime hours, aiming to let employees work in a happier mood so they can produce better products."
But in Bantala, not every tannery can meet the same environmental standards. After the CNA reporter drove into Bantala, the road was bumpy, filled with accumulated water. In some places, the water was so deep that vehicles had to detour. The water on the road and in the drainage ditches was murky and black, with unidentified oil slicks floating on top.
Chung Chia-hai grew up smelling the pungent odor of the tanneries. He asked the reporter: "It stinks, right? It can't be helped; this is just how it is here. Running a tannery is just like this."
Chung explained that many steps in the tanning process, including softening and degreasing, require chemical agents. The wastewater discharged from the tanneries, mixed with chemicals, dyes, and animal fats, is the source of the foul stench permeating the local air.
He stated that the Indian government mandates that wastewater must be purified within the tannery before discharge. "But the vast majority of factories lack such equipment. The wastewater is discharged directly, pooling on the roads and flowing into the ditches, and combined with sun exposure, the stench just lingers."
Chung Chia-hai said with deep concern that although the Hakka Chinese tanneries moved to Bantala, "the odor and wastewater problems still haven't improved. Voices of complaint have already begun to emerge. If the problem remains unresolved and protests become more intense, it's not hard to imagine that the Hakka Chinese tanneries will face forced relocation once again." (Editor: Chen Yen-chun) 1150418
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Kolkata Hakka Chinese Feature 2 (CNA Reporter Li Chin-wei, Kolkata, 18th) As a car approaches Bantala, Kolkata's new leather factory zone, a pungent stench invades the nostrils, choking and unbearable. Hakka Chinese Chung Chia-hai said with a heavy nasal tone: "This is why the leather factories were forced to move here. Now people here are already complaining too. Perhaps everyone will have to relocate again in the future." His words captured the helplessness of the Hakka Chinese who wander from place to place, relying on leather factories for their livelihood.
In the past, leather tanneries could be seen everywhere in Tangra, the Chinese community in Kolkata, India. Hakka Chinese accumulated wealth by opening tanneries and put down roots in Kolkata.
Nearly 80% of India's population is Hindu. For Hindus, because the mount of Lord Shiva is a cow, the vast majority revere cows immensely.
Out of respect for cows, most Indians do not eat beef, and slaughtering cows for leather is seen as highly disrespectful. Only Muslims or other non-Hindus engage in such work.
Chen Hsueh-liang, a community leader of the Hakka Chinese in Kolkata, told the CNA reporter that early Hakka Chinese immigrants to India started tanneries and entered the leather business because they lacked religious taboos against slaughtering cows.
At that time in India, few people engaged in this kind of work. Hakka Chinese sensed the business opportunity, and word spread quickly. From upstream leather tanneries to midstream shoe factories and downstream shoe stores, almost all Hakka Chinese livelihoods were tied to the leather industry.
Chung Chia-hai, whose family used to run a tannery and who is currently an agent importing European chemical agents into India, pointed out that the vast majority of Indians are unwilling to engage in the leather industry due to their faith. Only a few, especially those with lower socio-economic status seeking basic sustenance, have to rely on such jobs to support their families.
However, the foul odors and wastewater produced during the tanning process caused pollution issues and sparked protests, prompting the Indian government to intervene and require Hakka Chinese to move their tanneries to Bantala, further away from the city center.
Hakka Chinese have established themselves in Tangra for generations relying on the leather business. A minority who could afford to relocate moved to Bantala to start over. But the majority lacked the means to move and could only shut down their tanneries, rent or sell their factories and land, and seek other ways to survive.
Li Chi-sheng, a fourth-generation Hakka Chinese in Kolkata, said: "Only those who made big money running tanneries in the past have the means to build new tanneries and do business in a new place. About 80% of the Hakka Chinese can no longer engage in leather production and tannery operations like before."
In the Tangra area, people gradually moved out for their livelihoods, and the locale fell into decline. Community leader Chen Hsueh-liang noted that with increased educational opportunities and globalization, Hakka Chinese also gained the chance to study abroad and explore the world. "Many who go abroad for studies end up leaving India and staying there."
Chen Hsueh-liang said: "Many places have declined, and there are fewer and fewer shops on certain streets. Where I opened my shoe store, there were originally 14 shops opened by Hakka Chinese on the same street, but today only two remain."
Tannery boss Liao Sheng-lung, who took over and expanded his family's leather business, is considered one of the successful cases of starting anew in Bantala.
Liao told the CNA reporter that his father passed away suddenly when he was around 20, leaving him no choice but to take over the business. At that time, the Indian government demanded the relocation of tanneries, returning everything to zero. He rebought land, built factories, and bought machines. "I've worked with leather my whole life; it's all I know. This is my passion, so I can only keep doing it."
Liao Sheng-lung said he is quite a "perfectionist" and pursues perfection in everything. "I want this place to be different from other tanneries, to be brighter and better ventilated. I also strictly control employees' overtime hours, aiming to let employees work in a happier mood so they can produce better products."
But in Bantala, not every tannery can meet the same environmental standards. After the CNA reporter drove into Bantala, the road was bumpy, filled with accumulated water. In some places, the water was so deep that vehicles had to detour. The water on the road and in the drainage ditches was murky and black, with unidentified oil slicks floating on top.
Chung Chia-hai grew up smelling the pungent odor of the tanneries. He asked the reporter: "It stinks, right? It can't be helped; this is just how it is here. Running a tannery is just like this."
Chung explained that many steps in the tanning process, including softening and degreasing, require chemical agents. The wastewater discharged from the tanneries, mixed with chemicals, dyes, and animal fats, is the source of the foul stench permeating the local air.
He stated that the Indian government mandates that wastewater must be purified within the tannery before discharge. "But the vast majority of factories lack such equipment. The wastewater is discharged directly, pooling on the roads and flowing into the ditches, and combined with sun exposure, the stench just lingers."
Chung Chia-hai said with deep concern that although the Hakka Chinese tanneries moved to Bantala, "the odor and wastewater problems still haven't improved. Voices of complaint have already begun to emerge. If the problem remains unresolved and protests become more intense, it's not hard to imagine that the Hakka Chinese tanneries will face forced relocation once again." (Editor: Chen Yen-chun) 1150418
Stand with the facts, every contribution you make is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP for instant breaking news.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, transmitted, or used without authorization.