The government on Monday serve legal notices on 88 more tanneries for their failure to make satisfactory progress in relocating the units from Hazaribagh to Tannery Industrial Estate at Savar, on the outskirts of the capital. The latest notices took to 116 the number of tanneries served such legal notices by the Tannery Industrial Estate project director for their failure to relocate in stipulated time. Project officials said that following a directive from the industries ministry, they initiated the process of serving notice to all 155 tanneries, who got plot in the Tannery Industrial Estate for relocation. The ministry, however, asked them on Monday to halt the process halfway. The list of the rest 39 tanneries was sent to the ministry on Monday for next course of action, the officials said. Leaders of the tannery sector, however, said that 151 of the 155 tanneries started construction and others necessary work on the plot and some of them made significant progress. ‘After receiving the legal notice from the government, we have decided to reply through lawyer as all of the entrepreneurs are making progress though the pace is slow because of some valid reasons,’ Bangladesh Tanners Association general secretary Md Shakawat Ullah said. He said that some of the tanneries were nearly to finish their work but the construction of Central Effluent Treatment Plant was yet to finish and it might take five to six more months to be operational. Shakawat alleged that the government allocated Tk 250 crore for the tanners in compensation, but the amount was poor and the disbursement system was faulty. He said that some of the unites were ready to go to production in two or three months in the Tannery Industrial Estate, but CETP, the key requirement for tannery relocation, was yet to be set up. Project director Abdul Quayum said that the tanners started to response after getting legal notice in the first phase on January 12. ‘Most of the tanneries resume their work in the plot and some of the companies replied to the notice seeking more time to compete the relocation, he said. Project officials said that six tanneries –– Kader Leather Complex, Amin Tannery Ltd, Sonali Tannery, Capital Tannery, International Tannery and Zindabad Tannery –– replied to the legal notices till Monday. Seeking time, all the tanneries said that their relocation works were progressing and they would shift their units within the shortest possible time.
