HC orders to shut down tanneries at Hazaribagh

The High Court has ordered to shut down all tanneries, which yet to be relocated at Savar from Dhaka’s Hazaribagh.

The court also asked the government to cut off power, gas and water connections of the tanneries, and submit a report by April 6 regarding initiatives to shut down the factories.

The bench of Justice Sayed Refat Ahmed and Justice Md Selim passed the order on Monday after hearing of a petition filed by Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA).

BELA’s chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hassan, Fida M Kamal and Mizanul Huq Chowdhury conducted the hearing on behalf of BELA while Advocate Rais Uddin was on behalf of Industry Ministry.

Ministries of home, industries, inspector general of police (IGP) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner have been told to assist Director General of the Environment Department to shut down the tanneries.

The High Court in June 2009 directed the tanners to relocate their factories from Hazaribagh to Savar following a writ petition filed by BELA. In October 2010, the court extended deadline to April 30, 2011.

However, the government extended the deadline till March 31, 2017.

Rizwana said: “We submitted a writ petition in January this year as the government cannot extend the deadline without permission from the court.”

Lawyer Rais Uddin said, “On behalf of Industry Ministry, we submitted a report saying that 43 tanneries have been relocated at Savar.

“The ministry sought assistance from different departments to stop entrance of raw leather in Hazaribagh. The court asked to submit a report in this regard on April 6,” he added.

(The article originally published in Bangla edition of Jagonews24.com is written in English by Zahidul Islam)