The endless story of tannery relocation
Whenever the set time
limit expired in the past, the tannery owners found
reasons to violate official decisions and orders
from even the country�s apex court
Giving in to the demands of the tannery owners the authorities have decided to extend the deadline by a week. But the owners have taken an intransigent position and have stressed that the relocation is not possible before July. Pointedly they have not specifically stated when exactly they will be ready to. We have not seen much visible sincere action on part of the tannery owners in this regard. They have done little to improve the infrastructure at the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate. As a matter of fact, half of the total number of tanneries has done nothing with the plot allotted to them.
We are exasperated by the lack of decisive action of the regulatory authorities to stop tanneries from poisoning Dhaka residents and start relocating to Savar. This has been an endless story of repeated shifting of dates. Whenever the set time limit expired in the past, the tannery owners found reasons to violate official decisions and orders from even the countrys apex court. And every time authorities have bowed down to their wild whims.
To be fair the government too has failed to establish the effluent treatment plant (ET) it promised. We fail to understand why so much time is being taken in this connection. Only two units of the effluent plant have been completed and the remaining ones are being built at a very slow pace. Even the construction work on electricity sub-stations is yet to be completed. Besides, screening lines of wastes is still not connected with the main pipe. So there is a clear lack of co-ordination among the stakeholders.
After non-compliance of the tannery owners with the shipping ministers directive on January 11 to shift the tanneries from Hazaribagh in 72 hours, no action was taken against them. Caught on the back foot, after failing to enforce its directive the government decided not to allow entry of rawhide to tanneries at Hazaribagh beginning on April 1.
Be that as it may the continued presence of tanneries at Hazaribagh area of Dhaka city is a constant threat to residents of the city. It is well known that waste-dumping from tanneries has almost killed the Buriganga. 22,000 cubic litres of toxic waste is being dumped into the lifeblood river of Dhaka city, the Buriganga that also serves as the principal water supply of the city.
We must say that enough is enough. The authorities concerned must make necessary arrangements to expedite the process for tannery relocation and save the river Buriganga, the environment and the people living on its banks.
