Business leaders demand funds for Ctg infrastructure
Businessmen have urged the government to take special budgetary measures to bolster industrialisation in the port city of Chittagong, which is currently bogged by infrastructure bottlenecks.
They called for special allocations in the next budget for land acquisition to set up industrial zones in Chittagong, as well as quick completion of the ongoing expansion of Dhaka-Chittagong highway and railway communications.
Setting up industrial zones has become imperative to boost business in Chittagong as new entrepreneurs are hard-pressed for land, Mahbubul Alam, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), told The Daily Star yesterday.
“The government has already decided to set up industrial zones in Mirsarai and Anwara, which is appreciable, and we want special provision in the budget to acquire land for those.”
Industrialisation has stagnated in Chittagong due to a lack of logistical services, including lack of new gas connections and low pressure of gas supply hampering production, he said.
Government officials have talked about plans to build a tunnel under the river Karnaphuli to connect Anwara and Boalkhali upazilas with the main city and help develop them into suburban townships, said Nasir Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, first vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
“We want funds for infrastructure development that will hasten the development of these areas.”
Chowdhury also supported suggestions to build a garment village in Chittagong, to strengthen the industry.
The government is yet to take any initiative in this regard, even though Pakistan has already built a garment village to grab international markets, he said. “The government should set aside budget for building the garment village in Fatehabad.”
The government could route 10 percent of the Chittagong Port's income towards infrastructural development of Chittagong city, said AM Mahabub Chowdhury, vice president of Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Continuous traffic of heavy vehicles to and from the port has ruined the roads, so it makes sense to demand the allocation of at least 10 percent of the port's total income for road development.”
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