Fine on tanneries

HC order stayed till July 17

The chamber bench of the Supreme Court yesterday stayed till July 17 a High Court order that had directed 154 tannery owners in Hazaribagh, who are yet to relocate their ternaries to Savar, to pay Tk. 50,000 per day each in compensation for causing damages to the environment. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order following appeals filed by Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) and Finished leather Export Association, seeking a stay on the HC order. The chamber Judge also sent the stay petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division and fixed July 17 for its hearing. M Shaheen Ahmed, Chairman of BTA, filed the appeal with the related branch of the Supreme Court on Monday while Finished Leather Export Association filed a separate appeal before the apex court to become a party on the matter. After a brief hearing on the petitions, the chamber judge of the Appellate Division sent both the appeal petitions before the full bench of the apex court. In an order on June 16, the HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq had ordered 154 tannery owners each to pay Tk. 50,000 per day in compensation for damaging the environment.
It asked the tannery owners to keep depositing the money to the government fund until they relocate their units to Savar. The HC also directed the industries secretary to submit a report before it by July 17, stating whether tannery owners have paid the compensation. It also directed the environment secretary to assess the damage done to the Buriganga River because of the tanneries and to submit a report in this regard by July 17. The HC bench came up with the order in response to a petition filed by the HRPB seeking its directive over the matter. On June 23, the HC released its order that had asked 154 tannery owners to pay Tk. 50,000 per day each in compensation for damaging the environment. On June 6, in response to a petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), the same HC bench had asked the industries secretary to submit the list of errant tannery owners who were yet to relocate their units to Savar.
The industries secretary submitted a list of 155 tanneries. Of those, Reliance Tannery Ltd has since relocated to Savar. In 2001, the HC in a verdict directed the government to relocate the tanneries from Hazaribagh within two years to save the Buriganga from pollution. Later, it extended the deadline to February 2010. The HC later extended the February 2010 deadline by another six months. On October 30, 2010, the HC gave tannery owners another six months to relocate their factories to Savar. Following an appeal from tannery owners, the government had also set several deadlines for them to shift their units to Savar. On April 3 this year, on the expiration of an earlier deadline, the government had extended the deadline by another seven days.

Fine on tanneries

HC order stayed till July 17

The chamber bench of the Supreme Court yesterday stayed till July 17 a High Court order that had directed 154 tannery owners in Hazaribagh, who are yet to relocate their ternaries to Savar, to pay Tk. 50,000 per day each in compensation for causing damages to the environment. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order following appeals filed by Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) and Finished leather Export Association, seeking a stay on the HC order. The chamber Judge also sent the stay petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division and fixed July 17 for its hearing. M Shaheen Ahmed, Chairman of BTA, filed the appeal with the related branch of the Supreme Court on Monday while Finished Leather Export Association filed a separate appeal before the apex court to become a party on the matter. After a brief hearing on the petitions, the chamber judge of the Appellate Division sent both the appeal petitions before the full bench of the apex court. In an order on June 16, the HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq had ordered 154 tannery owners each to pay Tk. 50,000 per day in compensation for damaging the environment. It asked the tannery owners to keep depositing the money to the government fund until they relocate their units to Savar. The HC also directed the industries secretary to submit a report before it by July 17, stating whether tannery owners have paid the compensation. It also directed the environment secretary to assess the damage done to the Buriganga River because of the tanneries and to submit a report in this regard by July 17. The HC bench came up with the order in response to a petition filed by the HRPB seeking its directive over the matter. On June 23, the HC released its order that had asked 154 tannery owners to pay Tk. 50,000 per day each in compensation for damaging the environment. On June 6, in response to a petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), the same HC bench had asked the industries secretary to submit the list of errant tannery owners who were yet to relocate their units to Savar. The industries secretary submitted a list of 155 tanneries. Of those, Reliance Tannery Ltd has since relocated to Savar. In 2001, the HC in a verdict directed the government to relocate the tanneries from Hazaribagh within two years to save the Buriganga from pollution. Later, it extended the deadline to February 2010. The HC later extended the February 2010 deadline by another six months. On October 30, 2010, the HC gave tannery owners another six months to relocate their factories to Savar. Following an appeal from tannery owners, the government had also set several deadlines for them to shift their units to Savar. On April 3 this year, on the expiration of an earlier deadline, the government had extended the deadline by another seven days.