HC contempt threat on tannery issue

The High Court has threatened contempt proceedings against the current and seven former industry secretaries and the current and five former director generals of the Department of Environment for failing to shift tanneries from Hazaribagh.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 April 2014, 06:51 PM
Updated : 15 April 2014, 06:51 PM

The bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal issued an order asking the officials to explain within two weeks why they should not be charged with contempt of court.

Moinuddin Abdullah is the current industries secretary and Raisul Alam the current DoE chief.

The High Court, in 2001, had ordered the relocation of the Hazaribagh tanneries within two years. The court extended the deadline several times. The last one, a six-month extension, was given in October 2010.

The petitioner’s lawyer Munzil Murshid said the officials were at the helm of the industries ministry and the DoE at different times since the time of the High Court’s original order.

He said despite clear instructions to relocate the tanneries, the officials disregarded the order, causing continuous damage to Dhaka’s environment.