Make SEZ deals public

The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday urged the government to make public the conditions for allocation of special economic zones to particular countries such that the interests of Bangladesh are protected.

The corruption watchdog also urged the government to allocate economic zones to countries only after assessing the risks and possible short, medium and long-term gains from the zones.

The government is currently developing zones for investors from India, China and Japan.

Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of the TIB, in a statement also said it is not clear yet what kind of factories would be established in the zones and what the environmental assessments say.

“It is not also clear yet how the profit earned by the companies would be distributed.”

The government should make public the local impact for establishing of the industries, Iftekharuzzaman said.

“We are especially concerned that in a country of land scarcity the government has taken initiatives to establish economic zones using arable land without objective assessment of the impact.”

It is also not clear what would be the long-term impact for establishing the industries and how the country would be benefited from the units, he said.

“So, we are urging the government to make public the information soon,” the statement also said.

If the government signs agreements with the countries for setting up the zones without any assessment, it should stop those deals. The government should take a decision only after assessing the environmental and economic impact on the local people, he said.

Iftekharuzzaman also said it is a matter of concern that the government has awarded the development works of the Indian economic zone at Mirsarai in Chittagong to Indian Adani Group.

The group has been bitterly criticised for its environment-damaging coal project in Queensland of Australia.

“The people of this country have the right to know how much Bangladesh would be benefited with the development of the economic zones by such a controversial company.”