The leaders of Tannery Workers Union on Tuesday alleged that a ‘third party’ is now conspiring to destroy the country’s tannery industry. “A third party is conspiring against the tannery industry. Utility services, including gas, electricity and water, have been snapped as part of the conspiracy,” president of Tannery Workers Union Abul Kalam Azad told a rally at Hazaribagh Tannery intersection. He said shutting down the Hazaribagh tanneries before completing the works at Savar Tannery Estate proves that a third party is engaged in conspiracy to destroy the country’s second largest export sector. He demanded utility connections to their industrial units at the Savar Tannery Estate within 15 working days in compliance with the apex court order passed on April 9 last. “If the utility connections are not given within the 15 days, the tannery workers will lay a siege to the office of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC),” Kalam said. He also demanded necessary facilities, including residence and hospital, for the tannery workers at Savar estate. Cochairman of Chamra Shilpa Rakkha Oikya Parishad and also Chairman of Bangladesh Tanners Association Shahin Ahmed said a well-planned plot continues to destroy the leather industry. “As part of the plot, utility services to Hazaribagh tanneries were disconnected and tanneries are being forced to be shifted, though the Savar estate is still not fully ready,” he said. The union leaders also called for quick implementation of the bilateral deal signed earlier between the owners and the workers of the tannery industry. Their demands include residential facilities for the workers in Savar Tannery area, establishment of a 50-bed hospital, making their job permanent based on their competence and providing certificates. In compliance with a High Court order, the Department of Environment (DoE) on April 8 last disconnected utility services — electricity, gas and water — to some 224 tanneries at Hazaribagh as they missed several deadlines to relocate their factories to the 200-acre Savar Tannery Estate.unb
