Chattogram Bureau :
Ggarment village at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial City at Mirsharai upazila in Chattogram will be all set for construction of factories by June 2022, said the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) sources .At present, the construction of infrastructure of the garment village is going on in full swing. Some plots of the village are already suitable for the construction of factories, said Beza officials.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) officials, however, told The New Nation that water supply to the industrial village has not been confirmed as yet.
Once it is ensured, entrepreneurs will start constructing the factories.Although the pace of work slowed down after the beginning of the corona pandemic, at present, infrastructure construction of the industrial city is going on in full swing, he added.
According to sources, the Bangabandhu Industrial City is being developed on 30,000 acres of land at Mirsharai upazila in Chattogram district.
To establish a garment village on a 500-acre site in the industrial city, the BGMEA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BEZA on 21 March 2018. Beza authorities said the infrastructure and road construction, as well as setting up gas, water and electricity connections are in the final stages. Around $1,500 million will be invested, creating employment for five lakh people, once the garment village is inaugurated and fully operational.
BGMEA senior vice President Nazrul Islam said, “We are going to visit the garment village soon. Investors will start constructing factories if the environment is favourable.
“Beza Assistant Engineer (Civil) Ferdous Wahid told that , “Tenders would be floated in January for the construction of internal roads, drains and other utility services; and hopefully, by 2022, all types of utility services will be ensured.”
Ahmed Noor Faisal, managing director of Visual Knitwear, said, “The Beza has sent a letter to us to take delivery of the plot for construction of the factory. We will build a fabric mill at the garment village, creating employment for 500 workers. We will start constructing the factory soon.
Beza Manager Md Ahsan Ullah said, “Initially, we planned to hand over the plots to the investors by 2021; but the infrastructural construction slowed down a lot as the global supply chain was severely disrupted by the pandemic. However, by June 2022, the garment village will be fully ready for construction of factories.
“According to Beza sources, several companies including Zhuzhou Jinyuan Chemical Industry Co Ltd of China, Nippon Paints of Japan, Asian Paints of India and Berger Paints are currently constructing their factories in the industrial city. By mid-2022, about 13 companies will be able to go into production.
Meanwhile, a technical school has been set up in Mirsharai in April this year to develop skilled workers for the industrial city. The school, funded by Clipton Group, USEP Bangladesh, HSBC Bank, is being run by the Organisation for the Poor Community Advancement (OPCA).
