MSME Min raises concern over closing petha units in Agra; SMEs threatened
Updated: Sep 01, 2014 04:19:48pm
Agra, Sept 1 (KNN) Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra has raised concerns over the closure of petha manufacturing units in Agra, as the sweet is the geographical indication of the place and is not causing any harm to the world heritage site of Taj Mahal.
Mishra, who was on a visit to the city on Sunday, said the petha units are not causing any harm to the Taj Mahal and the state government should take better steps for encouraging development in the region.
He said that the closing of the manufacturing units is a serious threat to the MSME sector in the region.
The divisional commissioner, earlier this year, had ordered all petha units to stop using coal and switch to commercial LPG in order to save Taj Mahal from pollution.
Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is a defined area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal to protect the monument from pollution.
The Supreme Court of India, in a ruling on December 30, 1996 banned the use of coal/ coke in industries located in the TTZ with a mandate for switching over from coal/ coke to natural gas, and relocating them outside the TTZ or shutting down.
The TTZ comprises over 40 protected monuments including three World Heritage Sites — the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. TTZ is so named since it is located around the Taj Mahal and is shaped like a trapezoid.
The MSME Minister said that the petha units are functioning since several years in Agra and they were never a threat to the Taj Mahal.
Such small-scale industries are actually the backbone of our economy, as they provide employment to many. The UP government is unable to understand this, he said, as quoted in a media report.
According to the reports from Uttar Pradesh pollution control board, the petha units, in 2002, had filed affidavits claiming they were not using coal and had switched to LPG but investigations have revealed the rampant use of coal.
The pollution control board also claimed that the petha manufacturers are disposing their waste in residential areas or along the banks of the Yamuna, reports media.
Social activists and environmentalists recently demanded the immediate shifting of petha units from the heart of Agra to the new site called Petha Nagri in Kalindi Vihar.
The activists urged the Agra Development Authority to expedite the shift of the units to prevent pollution in Agra.
Over 1,000 petha units with about 75,000 workers produce several tonnes of the Agra favourite each day. (KNN/SD)
Mishra, who was on a visit to the city on Sunday, said the petha units are not causing any harm to the Taj Mahal and the state government should take better steps for encouraging development in the region.
He said that the closing of the manufacturing units is a serious threat to the MSME sector in the region.
The divisional commissioner, earlier this year, had ordered all petha units to stop using coal and switch to commercial LPG in order to save Taj Mahal from pollution.
Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is a defined area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal to protect the monument from pollution.
The Supreme Court of India, in a ruling on December 30, 1996 banned the use of coal/ coke in industries located in the TTZ with a mandate for switching over from coal/ coke to natural gas, and relocating them outside the TTZ or shutting down.
The TTZ comprises over 40 protected monuments including three World Heritage Sites — the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. TTZ is so named since it is located around the Taj Mahal and is shaped like a trapezoid.
The MSME Minister said that the petha units are functioning since several years in Agra and they were never a threat to the Taj Mahal.
Such small-scale industries are actually the backbone of our economy, as they provide employment to many. The UP government is unable to understand this, he said, as quoted in a media report.
According to the reports from Uttar Pradesh pollution control board, the petha units, in 2002, had filed affidavits claiming they were not using coal and had switched to LPG but investigations have revealed the rampant use of coal.
The pollution control board also claimed that the petha manufacturers are disposing their waste in residential areas or along the banks of the Yamuna, reports media.
Social activists and environmentalists recently demanded the immediate shifting of petha units from the heart of Agra to the new site called Petha Nagri in Kalindi Vihar.
The activists urged the Agra Development Authority to expedite the shift of the units to prevent pollution in Agra.
Over 1,000 petha units with about 75,000 workers produce several tonnes of the Agra favourite each day. (KNN/SD)
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