The government on Wednesday appointed the Bureau of Research, Testing and Consultation to supervise the construction works of the effluent treatment plant and dumping yard at the proposed new tannery estate at Savar. The BRTC under the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technologies was appointed by the cabinet committee on economic affairs.Finance minister AMA Muhith who presided over the meeting approved a proposal of the ministry of industry to appoint the BRTC directly, said additional secretary of the cabinet division Nurul Amin.
BRTC will be paid consultancy fees of Tk 5 crore, said an industry ministry official.
He said the main task of the BRTC will be to assist the project officials in procurement of materials and construction of ETP and dumping yard by the JLEPCL-DCL-JV, a Chinese company.
The government selected the company in 2011. But it could not start the construction works for various reasons, said the project officials.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council last August approved enhancement of the cost of tannery relocation project at Savar from the city’s Hazaribagh to Tk 1,079 crore from initial Tk 175 crore in order to save the capital city and the river Buriganga from pollution.
Hazaribagh’s 220 tanneries discharge some 21,600 cubic metres of liquid wastes and 88 tonnes of solid wastes per day.
The economic affairs committee also approved another proposal by industry ministry for importing fertiliser from Saudi Arab and United Arab Emirates through government to government purchase.
-With New Age input
