When some 150 leather processing units are set to start operation in the newly-built tannery estate outside the capital from this year, some businessmen have installed brand new factories in Hazaribagh violating rules and disregarding widespread environment concerns. Dhaka Tribune has spotted at least two new factories – Modhu Haji Tannery and Asian Leather Unit 3 in Hazaribagh that started their activities recently. Chand Mia, caretaker at Modhu Haji Tannery, told the Dhaka Tribune that they hoped to start operation in full swing from next month. Owner of the factory, Amin, could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts. Jony, owner of Asian Leather Unit 3, too was not available. When contacted, Director General of the Department of Environment Roisul Islam Mondol said he had heard about the new factories operating in Hazaribagh area. “We have plans to conduct raids soon. If we find presence of new tannery, we will definitely shut them down,” he added. The government has allotted 205 plots for 155 tannery units from Hazaribagh at the new tannery park at Harindhara, Savar. Construction of the factories is now under way. Project Director Sirajul Haider said he had no idea about such move by some businessmen. “This may happen…some businessmen did not get plots in the leather park. So they built the new units at Hazaribagh to demand plots at the estate, which may be extended in the future.” He said most of the factories that got allotments had started establishing the physical infrastructures and that the work might end by September. “We hope that the tanneries will start operations from the upcoming sacrificial season (Eid-ul-Azha). If someone fails to shift its unit by the next two months, it will be their last season in Hazaribagh,” he added. Abdul Hai, general secretary of Bangladesh Finished Leather and Leather Goods Association, could not be reached for comments on the new tanneries. The government in 2003 initiated the plan to build a separate industrial zone for tanneries in the face of concerns expressed by environmental activists and the later by the High Court. The project was supposed to be ready for the tanneries in 2005, but the deadline has ever been extended. Hazaribagh housed more than 200 tanneries in the last six decades earning an estimated Tk55bn per year. The DoE reported that 22,000 cubic meters of solid and liquid waste including dregs of finished leather, skins and chemical dust flow into the River Buriganga from the tannery units in Hazaribagh. Health impact of chemical contamination on workers and residents of the area is another crucial issue that drew massive criticisms. The new tannery estate provides the tanneries with all kinds of facilities including a central effluent treatment plant to purify the liquid waste produced at the factories before discharging those into the nearby river. The government also paid the Hazaribagh tanners Tk250 crore as compensation for the shifting task.
