The Chamber Court of the Appellate Division yesterday stayed till Thursday a High Court (HC) order that directed owners of 154 tanneries in Hazaribagh to deposit a total of Tk 30.85 crore to the state fund in two weeks as compensation for causing damage to the environment. Chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice Syed Mahmud Hossein passed the order following a petition filed by the tannery owners seeking a stay on the HC order. The Chamber Judge also sent the stay petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division for its hearing on March 23. Barrister Mehedi Hasan Chowdhury, moved with the stay petition on behalf of the tannery owners. On March 2, the HC directed owners of 154 tanneries in Hazaribagh to deposit a total of Tk 30.85 crore to the state fund in two weeks for causing damage to the environment. The HC bench comprising Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das passed the order during the hearing on a petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), seeking its directive as the tannery owners did not deposit compensation money, as per a previous court directive, to the government exchequer.In June last year, the HC directed the tanners to compensate Tk 50,000 per day each for damaging the environment until they relocate their factories to Savar. Later, in response to appeals by tannery owners, the Supreme Court in July last year reduced the fine to Tk 10,000 per day for every tannery for damaging and polluting the environment in the area, until those are relocated from Hazaribagh to Savar. The tanners, however, did not pay the compensation properly as per the apex court order. Later, the HRPB filed a petition before the HC seeking its directive over the matter. The HC on January 25 summoned the industries secretary to appear before it on February 13 for giving explanation over collecting compensations from tannery owners. Industries Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan on February 13 informed the court that 154 tanneries, which are operating in Hazaribagh area in Dhaka, have not paid a total of Tk 30.85 crore in fines for damaging and polluting the environment. After scrutinising the HRPB petition and industries secretary report, the HC came up with the order, Advocate Manzill Murshid, counsel for HRPB, said.
