Tannery owners have said that relocation of factories from Hazaribagh to Savar will be unrealistic now, as the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) is yet to complete any unit of the central effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the Savar Tannery Industrial City. Besides, the BSCIC authorities did not serve any legal notice on tannery owners on Monday, as per the industries minister’s directive. On Sunday, industries minister Amir Hossain Amu asked tannery owners to shift their factories to Savar from the city’s Hazaribagh area within 72 hours, and directed the authorities to serve legal notice. “We are yet to get any legal notice from the BSCIC. The industries minister’s directive is illogical. Even shifting of a house takes more days. Obviously one can understand how much time is required to relocate a factory,” Shakawat Ullah, general secretary of the Bangladesh Tanners’ Association (BTA), told The Independent yesterday (Monday). How can factories function without the CETP, he wondered. “At least two more months will be needed to set up a single unit of the CETP at the Savar tannery estate. So, the government should consider the issue,” he said in reply to a query. The BTA leader said most of the tannery owners are positive about shifting their factories and many are working round the clock at the Savar tannery estate. “Yes, some owners are reluctant to set up factories at Savar. The minister has expressed his anger against them,” Ullah said. However, the BSCIC authorities yesterday claimed that they have sent a list of 28 owners to the legal adviser for serving legal notice. “We expect them to get the legal notice today (Tuesday),” Abdul Qaiyum, project director of the Savar Tannery Industrial City, told this correspondent. The government has already disbursed Tk. 250 crore among 155 tannery owners to relocate their factories, he said. “We are ready to provide all services. But most of the tannery owners are yet to apply for the services, such as electricity, from the BSCIC,” he added. “Installation of the CETP (two units) will be completed by January. So, there will be no problem to run their factories. It is just lame excuse on the part of the tannery owners,” Qaiyum said in reply to a query. On June 23, 2009, the HC had ordered owners of tannery in Hazaribagh to vacate the area by February 28, 2010. The deadline was extended several times following the government’s prayers before the High Court. Several deadlines have passed since then, but tannery owners have conveniently ignored the directive. About 205 plots in Savar have been allocated to tannery owners for relocation. In another prayer on July 3, 2011, the government sought a final extension of two years for relocation of tanneries. But the commitment was not kept.
