Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan on Wednesday said the tanneries in the city’s Hazaribagh area could not be shifted to Savar in due time for the delay in installation of the central effluent treatment plant (CETP), a key component of the project, reports UNB. The minister said this at the 29th meeting of the taskforce committee formed to prevent encroachment and pollution of rivers and maintaining their navigability. He said it was decided at the meeting to fix July 16, 2016, a new deadline, to shift the Hazaribagh tanneries to Savar. The taskforce members will talk to the Industries Minister in this regard and then the new deadline to move the tanneries will be finalised. Explaining the reason behind the delay, the minister said 75 per cent works for constructing the CETP have already been done and the rest could not be completed in the scheduled time. “So, the members concerned of the committee will seek more time from the government for the relocation of the Hazaribagh tanneries,” he said. Besides, the committee decided to allocate lands for RAB-10 headquarters and navy headquarters in Keraniganj instead of Buriganga original channel. About the encroachment of the Baral River in Pabna district, the minister said a team of the taskforce will visit the spot soon.
