Tannery Road

Tannery Road
Road
Tannery Road
Coordinates: 13°00′18″N 77°36′44″E / 13.004879°N 77.6122699°E / 13.004879; 77.6122699Coordinates: 13°00′18″N 77°36′44″E / 13.004879°N 77.6122699°E / 13.004879; 77.6122699
Country India
State Karnataka
District Bangalore Urban
Metro Bangalore
Government
 • Body BBMP
Languages
 • Official Kannada
 • Spoken Kannada, Tamil, Urdu, English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 560005
Lok Sabha Constituency Bangalore Central
Vidhan Sabha Constituency Sarvagnanagar
Original Planning Agency Bangalore Civil & Military Station Municipal Commission
Established 1914
Tanneries at Tannery Road, Bangalore
Inside a Tannery, Tannery Road, Bangalore
Tannery Worker, Tannery Road, Bangalore
Abandoned Tanneries, Tannery Road, Bangalore
British Crown and 786 on Tannery Buildings, Tannery Road, Bangalore

Tannery Road is located North East in the Bangalore Cantonment, India. It is a 4 km long[1] narrow road (about 40 ft. wide) with around 700 shops,[2] named after the tanneries of the British India period located at the end of the Road.[3] Tannery Road was officially renamed as Dr B S Ambedkar Road many years back, but it still is referred to by its old name.[4] Tannery Road touches Fraser Town, Richards Town, Giddappa Block, Periyar Nagar and Pillanna Garden.[1] The Tannery Road area is highly populated with a high density. The suburb presents a picture which is a shocking contrast to the hi-tech image of Bangalore. As elections has not brought about any changes, the residents express disillusionment with politicians and politics. Pot-holes and broken pavements are a common feature of Tannery Road,[5] in addition to heavy traffic, water problems, garbage, etc.[1][5] There is scant respect for traffic rules, and vehicles of all types zoom past in all directions. Residents have to dodge puddles of dirty water and garbage, to move around.[6]

Tanneries

The tanneries were established during the British Raj, with the tanneries being located on the outskirts of the Bangalore Civil & Military Station, such that they were located at a 'safe'distance from the posh areas of the Bangalore Cantonment. Most of the buildings are 100 years or older, with some still carrying the insignia of the British Crown - the Lion and the Unicorn. The hides to the tanneries were and is still supplied by the slaughter house located at the beginning of Tannery Road. Gradually around 200 tannery units which have come up around the original tanneries set up in British India. In times gone by, people from the Tannery Road area were not allowed into the cantonment, and residents of the cantonment avoided Tannery Road.

Around 5000 Arunthathiyar, Tamil Dalit labourers were brought by the British from Madras Presidency districts of Vellore, Madurai and Tirunelveli. The Tanneries are owned by Muslims and the labour consists of Tamil Dalits, from the original migrants. The raw skin is initially cleaned using water, then rubbed with salt and folded into a square like a saree, and this preserves the skin for another 2 weeks. The hides are then transported to Vaniyambadi and Ambur, Tamil Nadu. In 2006, many of the tanneries and curing units were shut down, and now there are only about 15 left today. Most of the labourers have moved to other professions, and their children also getting good education. Tanners have also migrated in large numbers to Ambur and Vaniyambadi, as a result of the declining tannery industry in Bangalore. The government proposed the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, which would have stopped the slaughter of cow/oxen, and would have struck the death knell to the tanneries. The Bill was however withdrawn by the incumbent Congress Government.[1][3][7][8][9]

Slaughterhouse

The slaughterhouse (called as Doddi by the locals in Tamil/Urdu) is located at the beginning of Tannery Road, at the intersection of Pottery Road. It was established during British India, and is one of the few slaughterhouses in India, when cows/ox are slaughtered. It has an installed capacity of slaughtering 50 big animals and 200 small animals. However at least 150 big and 500 small animals are slaughtered everyday. The wastage is illegally dumped into the storm water drain located next to the slaughter house, causing issues of pollution and bad stench in the neighbouring areas.[10] The slaughterhouse has been subject to many litigations, and recently Justices Cyriac Joseph and Ashok B in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) ordered the slaughterhouse be moved to Iblur, city outskirts.[11] In June 2009, the The Karnataka Pollution Control Board refused to renew the licence of the slaughterhouse as the effluent treatment plant was not in operation.[12] An investigation by Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media found children aged 11–15 years working at the slaughterhouse, with the butchers (mostly Muslim) saying that they were unable to afford providing education to their children, and hence had them helping out in the slaughterhouse.[13]

Residents of Tannery Road

Most of the residents of Tannery Road are Tamil speaking Dalit Hindus and Christians, and Urdu speaking Muslims. There are also small number of Marwari traders running businesses on Tannery Road. Majority of residents are low-income group and labourers.[5] Poor, under-privileged Muslims live in enclaves of Tannery Road, particularly around D J Halli.[14]

Tannery Road is covered with cut-outs, cardboard arches and wall murals of BR Ambedkar, Thiruvalluvar, Mother Teresa, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, etc.[6]

Political activity is intense, which according to some residents has an detrimental effect on Tannery Road's woes. Other feel that lack of education (as most residents are Dalits and minorities), results in the lack of effective implementation of the rule of law. Older residents moan that even though the area was only 7 km from Vidhana Soudha, it was 100s of km away from effective governance.[3][6]

There is a statue of BR Ambedkar, on Tannery Road, which often serves as venue for political meetings and protests.[4] An annual Ganesh idol immersion procession passes through Tannery Road during the festival of Vinayagar Chaturthi, with the procession stopping near the statue of BR Ambedkar to pay its respects.[15][16]

Crime

Tannery Road is classified as a 'sensitive' area, due to several communal flare-ups,[6] with Police deployed during festivals, political rallies, and even India - Pakistan cricket matches.[17][18][19] Some of the notorious history sheeters of the area are Marimuthu and Elumamalai. Marimuthu runs the hootch business, and is the only woman in Bangalore Police rowdy sheet.[20] She went on to be elected as BBMP councillor on a JD(S) ticket in 2000 and 2005, but however lost the 2010 elections to V Palaniyammal sister of her rival and notorious rowdy Elumamalai (contesting on Congress ticket).[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] The Muslim underworld also has a presence around the Tannery Road area.[28][29]

Availability of cheap spurious alcohol, (known as hooch) is a problem around the Tannery Road area, with many dwellers getting addicted. Notorious bootlegger Marimuthu (who later became a councillor of BBMP) and Ameer Jan were running the racket. Hootch is brewed from industrial alcohol, by separating Methyl Alcohol, and adding water - A dangerous process which can leave traces of poisonous Methyl Alcohol. The brew is slow poison, damaging kidney and intestines, leading to slow death. On 7 July 1981, about 300 people (Official figures 229) around the Tannery Road area died as a result of consuming this spurious alcohol. Most of the victims were poor Dalits. Police registered cases against 63 people, but none were convicted or punished. An enquiry commission revealed a connection between some politicians and the bootleggers. A paltry sum of INR 1000 per family was paid to the victims by the Gundu Rao government.[30][31]

Present state

In 2009 the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has a project to widen Tannery Road, from the present 40 ft. to 80 ft.. However, there is stiff opposition by the traders of Tannery Road. According to Vijayraj, President of the Tannery Road Merchants’ Association, most of the owners of the 700 shops are opposed to the project. Further, they wanted the upcoming Bangalore Metro project to go underground in the Tannery Road stretch.[2][32] In December 2009, the BBMP demolished 690 properties on Tannery Road, in the face of stiff opposition of the traders, offering a TDR of INR 3000 per square feet.[33]

Tannery Road is one of the proposed stations on the Gottigere-Nagavara line of the Bangalore Metro Project, Phase 2.[34][35] Further, according to Pradeep Singh Kharola, MD of BMRC, problems were expected in implementing the Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project in densely populated Tannery Road.[36]

The suburb residents face problems of drinking water, with people having to buy water from private suppliers, and problems with garbage collection and disposal.[5] Recently Tannery Road, along with surrounding suburbs of KG Halli, DJ Halli, has emerged as centre for illegal recycling of hazardous e-waste.[37]

The David Rattray Memorial Trust runs the Hope Foundation School, and English Medium School for the impoverished children living in the slums around Tannery Road.[38] The children of the tannery workers are also embracing English Medium School, with many studying in Universities and surrounding colleges.[3]

Landmarks

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Simhadri, Murali (15 July 2013). "Standing up for Tannery road" (Bangalore). The New Indian Express. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 Jain, Niveditha (11 January 2014). "Stiff opposition by Tannery Road traders" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mondal, Sudipto (10 October 2012). "Looking forward to breaking with their past" (Bangalore). The Hindu. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Education is the key to dalit empowerment, says Guv" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Hussain, Shaik Zakeer (2 May 2013). "Bengaluru's Tannery Road and Goripalya: Symbols of Neglect". Two Circles. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Mujumdar, Neha (10 October 2012). "Despite all its troubles, life goes on in D.J. Halli" (Bangalore). The Hindu. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  7. 1 2 Gandhi, Divya (15 August 2010). "Leather industry set to take a hiding" (Bangalore). The Hindu. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Tannery Road: A Tainey departure from MM Road". Famished Firdaus. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Dirty Truth of Tannery Road". Youtube. News9. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Yadav, Umesh R (16 October 2014). "Tannery Road Pays for Slaughterhouse Delay" (Bangalore). The New Indian Express. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Gopal, MS (10 September 2008). "What's in a name?". Citizen Matters. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  12. ↑ Rao, R Sunitha (17 July 2014). "Living with the stench of 900 carcasses" (Bangalore). The Times of India. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. ↑ Pillay, Dipika Datta (4 October 2011). "Children toil at slaughter house". The Weekly Observer. 11 (6): 3.
  14. ↑ Christophe, Jaffrelot; Gayer, Laurent (2013). Muslims in Indian Cities: Trajectories of Marginalisation. HarperCollins Publishers India. p. 416. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "Traffic restrictions around Tannery Road today". The Hindu. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Ganesh 3Festival 2013 Tannery Road Bangalore". Youtube. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  17. ↑ Khader, K; John, Anugraha (November 2006). "Conference Report. Bangalore Peace Committee Experiences". Gestion des conflits et construction de la paix par la non-violence. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  18. ↑ "Communalism in Karnataka". Alternative Law Forum. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  19. ↑ Shwetha, S (2 March 2009). "Land disputes keep them on their toes". DNA Syndication. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  20. ↑ Koratagere, Prakruti (7 July 2013). "8,000 cops, 3,000 rowdies, 10 million hapless citizens" (Bangalore). Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  21. ↑ Madhusoodan, M K (6 April 2010). "Rowdies get a democratic thrashing" (Bangalore). DNA India. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  22. ↑ "Residents' association launches newsletter" (Bangalore). The Hindu. 9 October 2002. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  23. ↑ Subrahmanya, A T (20 March 2010). "'Amma, please vote for me'" (Bangalore). Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  24. ↑ Adyanthaya, Rakshita (27 January 2011). "Rowdies in Bangalore try political tricks to escape long arm of law" (Bangalore). DNA India. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Marimuthu in fray" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. 11 March 2010.
  26. ↑ "BBMP: Some criminals handed power, some thrashed" (Bangalore). One India. 6 April 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  27. ↑ Reddy, Y Maheshwara (23 March 2010). "Not a watered down campaign" (Bangalore). The New Indian Express. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  28. ↑ Madhav, Vinay (28 July 2008). "Underworld lurks under dim city lights" (Bangalore). The Times of India. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  29. ↑ "The rise of Muslim underworld in Bangalore". DNA India. 17 January 2011.
  30. ↑ Hanumantharaya, C H (14 December 2012). "The Big Hooch Tragedy" (Bangalore). Talk. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  31. ↑ "Deaths From Illegal Liquor Rise to 308 in Southern India" (US Edition). The New York Times. Reuters. 10 July 1981. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  32. ↑ Joshi, Bharath (17 July 2011). "No takers for TDR on Bangalore's Tannery Road". DNA India. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  33. ↑ "Shops razed on Tannery Road" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  34. ↑ Kushala, S (26 August 2014). "Metro hits Sagars, twice". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  35. ↑ Kushala, S (18 August 2015). "Metro scales new heights" (Bangalore). Bangalore Mirror. Bangalore Mirror Bureau. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  36. ↑ Ray, Aparajita (14 May 2014). "Bangalore Metro to speed up western line, kick phase 2 from June" (Bangalore). The Times of India. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  37. ↑ Angadi, Jagadish (21 April 2010). "Garage recyclers of e-waste are the new threat" (Bangalore). Deccan Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  38. ↑ Parikh, Tej (31 May 2012). "Small is Beautiful". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  39. ↑ Hefner, Robert W (2 October 2013). Global Pentecostalism in the 21st Century. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 207. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  40. ↑ Aulie-e-Hind (5 November 2009). "Dargahs of Bangalore (Know about the Awliyas of Bangalore & Some Urs Details)". Retrieved 4 January 2015.
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