TANNERY RELOCATION AT SAVAR SC warns of Dhaleswari pollution

The Appellate Division on Sunday warned that action would be taken against the government in the event of the Dhaleshwari River getting polluted by effluents from the tannery park at Savar, on the capital’s outskirt.
A four-judge bench chaired by Chief Justice SK Sinha issued the warning saying that it came to know that the Central Effluent Treatment Plant installed at the Tannery Park was not working the way it was said it would.
The Chief Justice said that shifting the tanneries from Hazaribagh in the capital was ordered to protect the Buriganga River from pollution.
He said that the objective of relocating the tanneries would be frustrated if the Dhaleshwari River, passing through Savar, got polluted by tannery wastes. 
The warning was issued by the apex court while it disposed of a petition of Bangladesh Tanners Association and Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters’ Association.
The petitioners had sought a review of an apex court order of July 18, 2016, imposing a daily fine of Tk 10,000 on each of the 142 owners for the failure to relocate their tannery factories.
However, the apex court exempted the defaulting owners from paying arrear 
fines to the tune of Tk 30.70 crore.
In a fresh order, the apex court asked each owner to deposit a lump sum of Tk 50,000 in the labour ministry’s account within 15 days for spending the money for the tannery workers’ welfare.
The court also directed the government to provide power, gas and water supply connections to the tannery factories which 
applied for the connections and paid the fees, within 15 days since the order was issued by the apex court.
The apex court gave the order one day after the government snapped gas, water and power supplies to the tannery factories still at Hazaribagh. 
On March 6, the High Court directed the Department of Environment to immediately snap utility supplies to the tannery 
factories that were still at Hazaribagh flouting court orders over the last 16 years. 
 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net