BSS, Chittagong :
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Saturday called upon the entrepreneurs of the private sectors to play more proactive roles to further accelerate the country’s economic growth and lift up the country’s present economic status from existing least developing position.
The Minister made the call while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the 22nd month long “Chittagong International Trade Fair-2014” (CITF-2014) held under the auspices of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) at Railway Polo Ground.
Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, MP inaugurated by fair.
With CCCI president Mahbubul Alam in the chair, the inaugural function was addressed, among others, by former CCCI President M A Latif, MP, President of Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed, CCCI vice-Presidents Nurun Nowaz Selim and Sayed Zamal Ahmed.
The Commerce Minister said “Bangladesh is a country of immense prospects and it will not be possible for us to uplift the economy into a new height if we can not defeat the anti liberation forces and their anti state activities like hartal, arson and killing of innocent people , indiscriminate felling of trees.”
“Despite many limitations and drawbacks, we have made significant advancements in many economic and social fields like export earnings , health , agriculture and education in last five years”, he mentioned. He called on the entrepreneurs to work together with the government with renewed spirits of patriotism and zeal to achieve a self-sufficient economy.
He criticized that the then BNP led government did not produce a single megawatt electricity but now they criticize Awami League led government though it has produced 11,000 Megawatt electricity in their last five years tenure.
Describing the economic integration of South Asian countries as slow, Bangladesh has no option to incorporate transit and transshipment facilities through the country’s premier sea port Chittagong.
“The government believes that no nation can prosper alone or get isolated . They need to constantly interact with others for trade and other multifarious purposes. Such activity will enhance trade connectivity in South Asia,” the minister said.
Tofail Ahmed today said people have voted for BNP-backed candidates in the upazila elections with the hopes that the party would shun violence and destructive activities on the streets.
“People expect the party would start forgetting the remorse for their decision not to participate in the parliamentary polls so as to ensure that they don’t take to the streets to create further violence,” Tofail said.
He warned if anybody try to create violence on the streets the government will take tough legal action against them.
He said the government is working relentlessly to ensure a conducive and corruption-free business atmosphere in the country.
He called upon all to become united for strengthening the hand of Bangabandhu daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Housing and Public works minister in his inaugural speech said two economic zones in Anwara and Mirsarai upazilas would be set up and 15,000 acres of land have been allocated for the same.
The Minister declared that the port city Chittagong will witness fifty years development in next five years.
“The government mulls over to develop Chittagong for fifty years in order to turn the city into an aesthetic and planned one,” the Minister added. Over 350 stalls including 10 premier gold pavilion, 16 standard pavilions, 80 mega booths, 97 premier booths were set up till to the date at the fair venue covering four lakh square feet of land areas of Railway Pologround here.
Some of the leading industrial enterprises of both home and abroad including from Iran, India, the United State of America, China, Japan and the United Arab Emirates are going to participate in the fair for the 3rd time along with some other countries to showcase their products.
The CCCI authority has been organizing the fair since 1993 and it got a wide range of publicity by the Bangladesh foreign missions in abroad, foreign missions in Bangladesh and different trade bodies and world famous trade based web sites.
