Lingzhi Environmental Protection Co. Ltd, the Chinese contractors closed the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) project implementation work officially, leaving the project incomplete, and handed it over to BSCIC last June.
Md Mostaque Hassan, ndc, Chairman of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) told the Bangladesh Post, “We have already taken over the CETP project, and now it will be operated by Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Wastage Treatment Plant Company Ltd, though the contractor’s engineers were to train up our team the full operating procedure of CETP, staying there for the next 3 months”.
Besides, we have deducted Tk 25.32 crore from project payment as the Chinese company could not complete 100 percent of work according to the contract. We also imposed them 20 percent fine for those incomplete portion of work.
However, not much work is left. Dhaka Tannery Estate Wastage Treatment Company, a 12-member company formed by the ministry, will finish the remaining work by its own management with the deducted money. Although the fund has already been refunded to the ministry, we have wanted the money back to complete the rest of the work, the BSCIC chairman said.
Tannery Industrial Estate sources said the BSCIC has taken over the incomplete CETP, whereas many important works remain incomplete. Even the Chinese company could not complete work on Common Chromium Recovery Unit (CCRU), Dewatering plant, CETP laboratory, Online monitoring system, CETP workshop yet as per condition of the contract.
Moreover, the solid waste management plant could not yet be set up, though it was supposed to be implemented by the company in the first phase of agreement. Afterward, it was dropped out from the contract following some planning complications, and around Tk 68 crore was deducted from the project allocation in the 4th amendment.
It was also learnt that CETP tanks were not washed for at least 2 to 3 years, so, most of the CETP tanks' Aerator (A part of Aeration System) had been damaged as around 5 to 7 ft sludges accumulated there. Moreover, the Chinese company used Mild Steel Aerator motor in CETP instead of stainless steel motor.
BSCIC authority, however, claimed they did not pay for those motors, and the spoiled Aerators have been replaced when they found them damaged during washing the tanks just before taking over the project.
Bangladesh Post correspondent visited Tannery Industrial Estate on Sunday and found that the BSCIC authority started washing and cleaning the CETP.
“We found in our tests that CETP performing well, though its tanks were supposed to be washed regularly”, BSCIC Chairman said in response to the question that how the CETP treated factories waste-water for long, whereas its major parts like aerators have been damaged, due to accumulation of 5 to 7 ft sludge there.
Jitendra Nath Paul, Project Director of the Tannery Industrial Estate said, incomplete means we are able to do 4 kinds of tests out of 9, the rest rests are now getting done from BUET, though all tests were supposed to do in our lab.
However, we deducted the payment due to some such kind of issues like spare parts, some motors, pumps, but those are not any major issues. CETP Management Company will complete it.
When asked about the incomplete portion of the CETP project, the BSCIC chairman said, incomplete means not fully incomplete. Our lab is almost ready to perform 100 percent work, we just have to employ lab technicians and some manpower, as well as some equipment are also needed.
Common Chrome Recovery Unit (CCRU) is almost functional, but we found that it cannot perform perfectly, so we also consider it incomplete, and deducted payment for it. We will later complete it. Besides, 7 Dewatering houses are active out of 9 houses; we will make the rest operative.
The rest is solid waste management plant. It was basically dropped out from the contract following the advice of BUET, as solid waste management process supposed to use 20% coal and 80% waste. Afterwards, the contractors said they will manage solid waste by using 80% of coal and 20 % of waste, moreover some financial issues are also there, so it was dropped out from the contract.
BSCIC Chairman further assured that the incomplete work will be completed with the deducted money, and it will not require extra allocation.
On the other hand, Bangladesh Post contacted Brig Gen M Zahid Hasan,ndc, psc (Retd), Managing Director of Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Wastage Treatment Plant Company Ltd, but he refused to make any official comment on these issues right now.
According to the BSCIC, around Tk 491 crore were allocated for this Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) project.
