The High Court has summoned the industries secretary to appear before it on May 19 to explain the failure in relocating tanneries from the capital’s Hazaribagh in line with a previous court directive.
The bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Kashefa Hussain passed the order yesterday after hearing a petition which was moved by lawyer Manzill Murshid on behalf of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.
Manzill Murshid said the High Court asked Industries Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan to appear before it by 10:30am on May 19 to explain the reason of not relocating hazardous tanneries from Hazaribagh despite an earlier High Court directive.
On June 23, 2009, the High Court directed the government to relocate the tanneries by February 28, 2010, for saving Buriganga River from pollution. The same court later extended the deadline for six more months.
The project for moving the tanneries to the a new site in Savar was taken in 2003.