Dhaka: Green activists in Dhaka on Thursday demanded legal action against tannery owners if they fail to relocate their factories from the capital’s Hazaribagh to Savar within March 30 next, the latest deadline set by the government.

Addressing a press conference, they asked the authorities concerned to cancel the plots allocated to tannery owners for the failure to relocate their factories from Hazaribagh to Savar within the stipulated time, and stop the operation of tanneries in Hazaribagh area, Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), a voluntary organisation, arranged the press conference at its Kalabagan office to brief journalists about its observations on tannery relocation, reported UNB.

A Poba team visited Savar Tannery Estate on February 17 this year to oversee the progress of tannery relocation.

Poba chairman Abu Naser Khan, its executive general secretary Abdus Sobhan, Morden Club president Abul Hasnat and Poba coordinator Atiq Morshed were, among others, present at the press conference.

Presenting the field observation report, Eng Abdus Sobhan said 51 percent of tannery owners have only completed foundation of their tannery buildings in Savar, while five percent are yet start their relocation work.

A total of 155 industrial tannery units are scheduled to be set up at the Savar Tannery Estate.

The government initially took a three-year project in 2003 to set up the industrial park spending Tk 175.75 crore to relocate some 205 tanneries from Hazaribagh considering the health and environmental hazards in the capital.