BJP MLC Uma Khapre focused on the requirements of the cobbler community's requests during the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Khapre talked about the importance of quickly providing new loans and waiving all existing loans from the Leather Industry Corporation. She also talked about starting a training centre and a world-class leather hub cluster on two acres of land in Govandi.
Khapre expressed dissatisfaction with the slow progress in facilities for the cobbler community. Some facility commitments were discussed at a February meeting with the Chief Minister. They included establishing a state-of-the-art leather hub cluster, a top-notch sales centre, a dormitory in Deonar, and issuing Pitch licenses and health insurance to workers at local levels.
Other important requests included the immediate nomination of the Chairman and Board of Directors of the Tanners Welfare Commission and starting degrees in leather engineering and other relevant fields. Khapre asked for the reasons for the delay.
The Minister of Water Supply and Sanitation, Gulabrao Patil, also accepted the long-standing need for loan waivers. He said that a one-time settlement was under consideration.
Pravin Darekar, the leader of the BJP, highlighted the poor conditions faced by the cobbler community. He emphasised the need for a new programme with advanced training. He also agreed that their loan of INR 98 crore is not a lot of money and can be forgiven easily.
BJP MLC Bhai Girkar also highlighted the lack of suitable cobbler stalls in the city. He pointed out that no cobbler in the city has been given a single fibre stall. They have been working in this location for 20-25 years, but the BMC sometimes relocates their stalls.
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