Biz Letters

Women entrepreneurs in Sylhet

Sylhet is a prominent city in Bangladesh for diverse reasons, such as the great saint Hazrat Shahjalal (R). More than a thousand years ago, he came here and once it was the center of Islam in the South Asian region in terms of publicity. His arrival distinctly differentiated the identity of the people in the district as well. Till now, there is a heritage that the people of this region are pious. They generally are assumed to follow the rules and regulations of Islam.
Accordingly, the women liked to maintain 'veil' (parda) and work within the house. There was a time when they would not even go alone to the shops or markets, being relatively conservative in public movement.
A few days ago, I participated in a workshop by the Bangladesh Women Chamber and became overwhelmed by the number of women entrepreneurs currently involved in different businesses. More than hundreds of women entrepreneurs showed their strong commitment towards business. It is evidently a good sign for the socio-economic development of Sylhet as well as Bangladesh.
Basically, the Monipuri (ethnic group) women were in this sector from the very beginning. There are at least 30 entrepreneurs among the initiators who are running their business efficiently. Their main expertise is in weaving fabrics. Apart from selling their products in showrooms, they also participate in various exhibitions and occasional fairs home and abroad.
Recently, the investment in 'beauty parlors' by well off women entrepreneurs is a mentionable trend. Most of the famous parlors are run by them. They have taken training from different institutions and set up their business. Most don't even take any loan from any financial institution. It's a positive symbol, certainly.
In last two years, many fashion houses have also sprouted in the metropolitan city. A majority of these have been established by women entrepreneurs. If we look at the notable two or three boutique houses, we will see that female entrepreneurs are running the business. They are also opening several branches of their brands, under their own initiatives. Very few have failed in this regard. If this trend continues, they will be able to contribute to the economy of Sylhet in greater volumes in the future.
However, they have to face some difficulties in starting the business, being female. For example, getting a trade license or managing a bank loan, even for a short term, is very tough for them. Even though finding skilled female workers and managing an organisation on their own is tough, they are continuing their noble efforts.
Proper cooperation and support from the City Corporation and other concerned ministries of the government can inspire more potential women entrepreneurs to come forward. We should remember that idle money should be spent in productive sectors. Their success and business models can be replicated in other parts of Bangladesh later.
Md Abdul Hamid, Sylhet

The neglected 'seven sister' states and transit

The seven sister states of India are neglected when it comes to trade and commerce. The seven sister states like Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura could have an optimal destination for the business people of our country.
Due to high transportation costs, it becomes harder for the rest of India to do business in these places. As we are near these states, we could have easily gained from the business opportunities there.
Rather, we simply wasted our chance. We should have embraced the opportunities and the government should have played a vital role in it.
The government must re-organise the so-called Export Promotion Bureau because it miserably failed to promote the Bangladeshi commodities in these regions. The government should also provide special incentives to those who export their commodities in these regions.
Now, we are hearing about allowing transit to India. Once the transit is given to India, the situation will be tougher because India will play monstrous roles in supplying their own products in these regions. Bangladesh will have nothing to do but suck their thumbs.
Even though much has been lost over the years, we want the losses to end here and to do something about it.
Minhaj Ahmed, Dhaka

Beware of gas meter readers

Natural gas is a sensitive national mineral resource in our country. The multipurpose uses of the resource in our modern luxurious lives cries out a constant supply of it.
The use of gas in homes in the cities, towns and urban areas and industries like the RMG sector, brickfields, thermal power stations, and fertiliser factories has increased manifold. Nowdays, innumerable CNG stations have sprung up beside the highways.
However, it is regrettable to see the tampered gas meters that are devouring cores of government revenues. Recent dailies have elaborately published the creeping-up of the Titas gas CBA leader activities. It is alarming to see some political groups backing up the unions in this sector. Titas sales assistants and the meter readers are the main collectors of billions of tolls by tempering with meters.
So an honest, powerful and expert taskforce should be established to monitor meter tampering.
MZ Haider, Narsingdi