THE Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) that had been set up in Chittagong almost a decade and a half ago seems to dealing with a chain of bad luck since the start of its operation, most of it caused by locals, government agencies and public representatives reported an English daily on Sunday. It has been plagued by land-related and legal issues due to the lack of cooperation between local administration as well as the government, even though being the country’s largest private export processing zone.
The aim of the Korean EPZ is to develop the land allocated and set up industries so that locals could be employed and economically benefitted. Newspaper reports show that the government is planning to take back part of the 2,492 acres of land allotted to the KEPZ and the irony of the matter is that the government has not yet handed over the transfer deed for the land to the KEPZ owner, Korean Young One Corporation. This has caused obvious obstacles in initiating investments on the land/project. Reports also say that foreign investors have contacted KEPZ authorities for plots but due to the dubious legal complication KEPZ could not make proper investments.
Ministry officials have claimed that Young One have not set up industries and also that they were involved in wilful malpractice of cutting hills for expansion and troubling locals by disturbing the peace. The State Minister for Land, Mr Saifuzzaman, has denied having been informed about the obstacles KEPZ faces in conducting its operations.
Considered a promising project, KEPZ faced setbacks right after the start of its operations.
Reports say it received its operational licence eight years after the ground-breaking, the environmental clearance was issued after 10 years (that too was cancelled three years later and then given back after five months), instead of getting 160 megawatts of electricity in phases and 80 million cubic feet of gas a day, they received only 14 megawatts and no gas supply. The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) also caused problems by giving funds to Boirag Union Parishad to illegally develop earthen roads inside the zone last year.
Local ruling party officials and some corrupt government officials want to ‘bank in’ on the lucrative prospects the KEPZ land holds due to its development and thus have been pressurizing KEPZ to let go of the land. The government has promised Japanese and Chinese investors land and other facilities – this shows that even though they are inefficient, they want to go back on their obligations of letting KEPZ do their work just because better offers are on the table. This is not only unethical, but seems utterly foolish as this will impact the economic prospects of the land and get further in the way of KEPZ setting up industries so that job opportunities are created for locals.
These unreasonable actions by the government must stop as they pose a barrier to ‘real’ development. Unfortunately our officials are more adept at filling their own pockets than they are at looking after the welfare of the nation.
