Staff Reporter :
The Supreme Court on Sunday upheld a High Court order directing the government to immediately close down 154 tanneries operating in the city’s Hazaribagh area and to disconnect their utility services.
A three-member Bench of the Appellate Division headed by the Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed an appeal petition seeking a stay on the High Court order.
Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association’s Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan told the reporters that the Director General of the Department of Environment must close all the tanneries at Hazaribagh and disconnect their utility services after the Supreme Court order. The Chairman of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters Association submitted the petition to the apex court on Thursday seeking a stay of the HC order.
On March 6, the High Court directed the government to shut down all the tannery industries operating in the city’s Hazaribagh area without delay. The court also ordered to disconnect gas, power and water lines of those tanneries, polluting the environment and violating of High Court’s directives.
Ministries of Home, Environment, Industries and Inspector General of Police and Dhaka Metropolitan Commissioner have been asked to assist the Department of Environment to shut down the tanneries.
The High Court Bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Md Salim passed the order after hearing a petition filed by the Bangladesh Environment Lawyers’ Association. The court fixed April 6 for submission of progress report on the tannery closure and fixed April 10 for further hearing in this regard.
Upon a writ petition, filed by the Bangladesh Environment Lawyers’ Association, the High Court in June 2009 directed the tannery owners to move the tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar by February 2010. In October 2010, the date was extended to April 2011.
In December last year, the Industries Secretary issued a notice saying that no raw leather will enter Hazaribagh and no tannery will operate there after March 31, 2017. The association submitted a petition with the High Court on January 3 arguing that the Industries Secretary had no authority to extend the time for relocating the tanneries from Hazaribagh without permission from the High Court.
After holding hearing on the petition, the court on March 6 directed the Director General of Department of Environment to immediately shut down the tanneries at Hazaribagh and their utility services, said Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers’ Association, Syeda Rizwana Hassan, after the court order.
According to the report submitted by the Industries Secretary, 43 tanneries only out of 154 were relocated in Savar. Rest 122 tanneries are operating in Hazaribagh. Even they did not pay the compensation fixed by the Appellate Division for polluting the environment.
At this, the High Court ordered the government to close all the tanneries operating at Hazaribagh soon as per section 4(3) and 4(ka) of Environment Protection Act.
