Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar

[Maisson]

Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar: Many plots ready to host industrial units

Saif Uddin, Back from Chattogram | Sunday, 2 February 2020

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) is partially ready with key infrastructure and utility services to host industrial units now, according to a spot account.

Several investors have already started setting up their factory buildings and few of them are expecting to start production by June next while many ready plots with necessary facilities awaiting investors, officials have said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) is now getting good responses from the local and international investors to get land in the BSMSN thanks to its highly suitable location.

"The BEZA has so far received investment proposals worth US$ 15 billion. Some of the willing businesses have already started setting up factories," said BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury.

"We have approved or signed memorandum of understanding with local and multinational businesses including Berger Paints, Asian Paints and Sojitz Corporation," Mr Chowdhury told the FE during a recent visit to the Mirsarai Economic Zone (MEZ).

Chinese Yabang Chemical Group recently got allocation for 100-acres of land in the EZ, but later they sought 500 acres in total considering the future prospect of investment, he added.

The BSMSN is an industrial hub comprising three conjoining EZs - Mirsarai and Sitakunda in Chattogram district and Sonagazi in Feni district, according to BEZA.

Primarily the BEZA is developing the zones in over 30,000 acres of land on the mouth of Feni river, covering 25 kilometres of coast line of Sandwip Channel of the Bay of Bengal.

Responding to a query, Mr Paban Chowdhury said the BEZA is hopeful about getting the BSMSN fully complete by 2030 which will also be an ideal tourism spot. He added that a good number of plots are now ready for factory construction.

There will be an aesthetic water body by the name of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a marine drive and other tourism attractions, he said.

During a visit to the MEZ, a factory of Chinese Jinyuan Chemical Industry was found fully ready for production. "We are now ready to start manufacturing different chemical products and export those," said Wang Li Bing, a representative of the company.

He hailed the support received from the government authorities to install the factory within a short period of time.

Among the under-construction factories, Nippon & McDonald Steel Industries Ltd is likely to go for production by July next, said its onsite Manager Abdullah Al Mamun.

"We are done with the foundation work for the new factory, now it will take few months only to complete the factory building prior to starting production," said Mr Mamun. The Japan-Bangladesh joint venture company has invested Tk 5.5 billion for the new industrial unit.

A multinational company Asian Paint observed the groundbreaking ceremony in the MEZ on January 22. The company is setting up its second plant in Bangladesh at a cost of US$ 20 million.

"Our aspiration to develop new factory in a land free from any type of disputes has been made easy with the support of the EZ authority," said the company's Bangladesh head Ritesh Doshi.

According to the sources, the BSMSN is expected to generate over 1.5 million direct and another 3.5 million indirect employments drawing an investment worth US$ 30 billion.

The industrial enclave is going to have all required infrastructure facilities like road connectivity, power plants, gas stations, water supply, residential facility and recreation centres.

The BEZA is even planning to develop a dedicated sea port for the industrial city, Paban Chowdhury said.

Aiming to become a complete industrial city, the BSMSN should have its own sea port, said the BEZA chief, adding that international development partners like Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank have given green signal in this regard.

"Soon a detailed feasibility study will start as two pre-feasibility studies have been conducted," said Mr Chowdhury. "We hope the BSMSN will have its own complete seaport spreading over thousand acres of land," he said.

There will be a place to be allocated for establishing an airstrip so that executive jets can land when required in future, he added.

[Maisson]

 

[Rezwan12]

12:00 AM, August 18, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 01:47 AM, August 18, 2020

Bashundhara Group to fork out Tk 4,350cr to set up three factories at BSMSN

Jagaran Chakma

Bashundhara Group, one of the largest business groups in Bangladesh, is set to establish three new enterprises with a total investment of Tk 4,350 crore at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) in Mirsarai, Chattogram.

"The expansion is a result of a bold decision by the government," said Paban Chowdhury, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA).

BEZA helped facilitate the project by leasing a 500-acre plot for the new economic zone that will feature the Bashundhara Pre-fabricated Building Manufacturing Industries, Bashundhara Multi Steel Industries and Bashundhara Chemical Industries.

The land was previously abandoned but now, investors are showing interest in the zone, Chowdhury said, adding that BEZA is standing by the investors even amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

About 20 per cent of the project's infrastructure development works is already complete, said Foyez Rahman, secretary to the vice-chairman of Bashundhara Group.

The factories will be able to go into full operation by the end of 2021.

Government's policies play a major hurdle to industrialisation.

For example, the National Board of Revenue recently imposed a 15 per cent value-added tax (VAT) on land leasing at economic zones, providing yet another obstacle for attracting investment.

Frequent policy changes also impede any business process that was being conducted based on previous rules and regulations.

In regards to the financing of the project, Rahman said they have already sent their application for funding to Agrani Bank.

Through the new factories, Bashundhara Group is targeting to create about 3,852 jobs.

After considering the potential growth of the pre-fabricated steel sector, Bashundhara Group felt it prudent to invest in the industry.

The manufacture of pre-fabricated steel in Bangladesh has had an annual growth rate of about 15 to 20 per cent over the last 10 years.

In the past, the market value for pre-fabricated steel was only Tk 2,000 crore but now stands at Tk 4,000 crore, according to the Steel Building Manufacturers Association of Bangladesh.

Similarly, Bashundhara also wants to grab a greater share of the growing steel sector. The market size for steel is currently about Tk 55,000 crore but domestic demand continues to increase rapidly thanks to the various mega projects and infrastructure development activities being implemented across Bangladesh.

Likewise, the manufacture of chemical products is also a booming industry in the country.

Riding on the rising trend of garment exports, the textile chemical market is expected to reach a value of $1.38 billion by 2024. For now, the chemical sector is largely dependent on imports.

And with this backdrop, Bashundhara plans to begin producing such chemicals locally to grab a greater share of the domestic market.

Textile colourants dominate the market for chemicals used in the garment sector as they provide an aesthetic appearance and value for finished textile products.

With several large-scale textile mills operating in Dhaka, the capital accounts for most of the domestic demand.

With about 40 active steel manufacturers in Bangladesh, the sector has an overall capacity to manufacture nine million tonnes of steel each year. Of them, Abul Khair Steel, BSRM and KSRM meet more than half the domestic demand.

According to BEZA's Chowdhury, this is only the beginning of Bashundhara's investments in the country as the organisation plans to invest heavily in different sectors in the future.

Bashundhara may even bring in more foreign investment through joint ventures, he added.

 

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/bashundhara-group-fork-out-tk-4350cr-set-three-factories-bsmsn-1946813

[Rezwan12]

12:00 AM, October 02, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:46 AM, October 02, 2020

Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar to come under digital security system

Will pave way for ‘smart industrial city’

Jagaran Chakma

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) will be brought under a digital security system as a part of the government's plans to build it up as a 'smart industrial city'.

"We want to monitor the ongoing development work from Dhaka and ensure tight security to avoid any kind of untoward incident inside the zone," said Paban Chowdhury, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza).

"For this reason, we will establish a digital security system in the zone," he added.

An information and technology communication solutions provider, aamra networks, will set up internet protocol cameras that focus on a select portion of the BSMSN which is currently undergoing development and houses Beza's site office free of charge.

Beza signed a memorandum of understanding with aamra networks in this regard yesterday and according to Chowdhury, the company is keen to start their work as soon as possible.

The 'smart city' concept basically combines the Internet of Things, cloud computing and big data analytics. In this system, devices collect data which is stored and analysed for real time application and solutions.

Beza plans to build up the BSMSN as a 'smart industrial city', complete with digital security systems to detect untoward incidents and illegal entry and high-speed telecommunications enabling remote monitoring from Dhaka, Chowdhury said.

To achieve this, Beza will appoint a competent consultant, he added.

"Initially, aamra will provide complimentary internet connectivity and video surveillance solutions that focus on a portion of the BSMSN," Sinha Humayun, senior manager for brand and product development at aamra networks, told The Daily Star.

It will enable Beza officials to remotely monitor and follow-up on the ongoing construction and development, he said, adding that in the future, they aim to provide IT solutions to investors of the BSMSN. 

 

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/bangabandhu-shilpa-nagar-come-under-digital-security-system-1970993

[Rezwan12]

12:00 AM, October 20, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:48 AM, October 20, 2020

Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar taking shape defying all odds

The industrial city now has $19b investment proposals, which may cross $30b by 2030

Jagaran Chakma

Development works, including earth filling, being carried out by various investors at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar in Chattogram. Factories of 13 different companies are now under construction in the economic zone and the plants may go into production by next year. Photo: COLLECTED

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) seems to be taking shape day by day as investors have started developing the physical infrastructure of the 30,000-acre economic zone.

While visiting the country's future industrial hub last Friday, this correspondent witnessed massive development works, including earth filling, being carried out by various investors.

Meanwhile, businesses from home and abroad have come up with investment proposals worth $19 billion for the industrial city, said Paban Chowdhury, executive chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza).

Of them, foreign companies, including Wilmar of Singapore, Adani Group and Asian Paints of India, Sojitz Corporation of Japan, Nippon Steel of Japan and Yabang Group of China, wanted to invest $10 billion, he said.

"The remaining $9 billion proposals came from local businesses. The major investors are: TK Group, Karmo Foam Industries, Mango Teleservices, BDCOM Online, Bashundhara Group, Siraj Cycle Industries, Abdul Monem Group, Star Consortium and Ayesha Clothing Company."

Out of the around 200 international and local investment proposals, 76 came from local garment makers, he added.

Moreover, three local entities—Confidence Group, Energypac and state-owned Rural Power Company Ltd—have expressed their willingness to invest nearly $3 billion in the power sector, he said.

"We hope the total investment in BSMSN will reach $30 billion by 2030, which will be equivalent to the total investment made on all other zones," he added.

Even amid the pandemic, the Beza received over $1.5 billion in investment proposals from home and abroad.

Factories of 13 different companies, including Asian Paints, McDonald Steel and Modern Synthetic, are now under construction, he said. "These factories may go into production by the next year."

Some other factories are currently waiting for the utility connections to start their construction work, he said.

Earlier, the World Bank handed over $500 million for the development of the industrial city and the global lender attached a condition that no factory should start construction work before getting utility connections.

The Beza executive chairman said they will use underground water sources for the next two and a half years to ensure water supply to the industrial units.

The water will be brought to the surface with the help of Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, he said.

Within the next three months, the entire area of the BSMSN will be desalinised, he said.

Local companies want to pour funds into pharmaceutical, chemical, steel, textiles, garments, bicycle, automobile, tire and tube, electronics and ceramic sectors.

Both the local and foreign businesses which will invest in the economic zones will enjoy the same facilities, said Chowdhury.

Chowdhury went on to say that more proposals are coming in thanks to the growing interest of foreign investors.

However, he said the Beza is now declining proposals as it would not be possible to accommodate them all due to a shortage of land in the industrial city.

But land will be available when they will start land allotment at the Swandip site on the south bank of the Swandip Channel, he said.

At least 1.5 million jobs will be created in the zone and it would become the third largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and Chattogram, as around 15 million people will live in the adjoining areas, he said.

According to Chowdhury, just five year ago nobody could imagine that this char land would lead to a different Bangladesh by becoming the country's biggest industrial hub.

This zone will help Bangladesh materialise its dream to become a high-income nation, he said.

Jinyuan Chemical Industry, a Chinese company which exports chemical products to the US and Canada, was to set to be the first company to begin operations inside the BSMSN in March, but the Covid-19 outbreak delayed the process, he said.

"I have received all clearances to start operation of the factory," Wang Yang, chairman of Jinyuan Chemical Industry, told The Daily Star ahead of the coronavirus outbreak in March.

Yang had shifted her factory from China to Bangladesh in order to lessen the tariff burden while exporting products to North America.

"My first aim is to avoid the impacts of the US-China trade conflict and make my products competitive."

Yang had invested $6 million in the first phase of the factory, which created jobs for 50 people. "I plan to increase this investment in the future," she added.

The BSMSN will be the first public economic zone to go into operation as part of the government's plan to set up 100 industrial enclaves across the country to boost industrialisation, Chowdhury said. 

 

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/bangabandhu-shilpa-nagar-taking-shape-defying-all-odds-1981101

[Joel Ahmed]

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/all-economic-zones-will-have-cetps-beza-290668#.YR5uJJWFWbE.facebook

TBS Report

19 August, 2021, 08:35 pm

Last modified: 19 August, 2021, 08:40 pm

All economic zones will have CETPs: Beza

Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar factories will have to have their own ETPs over and above the CETP

 

All economic zones in Bangladesh will have central effluent treatment plants (CETPs) as the government is concerned about environmental pollution, a top public official said.

Shaikh Yusuf Harun, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza), said, "The CETP project for Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar in Chattogram has already been approved. The government is also installing other ETPs [effluent treatment plants] as waste treatment measures in economic zones to curb industrial pollution."   

At a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing programme with HSBC Bank Bangladesh at the Beza office in Dhaka in Thursday, Yusuf Harun said projects to the tune of Tk4,000 crore, including a water supply network and a CETP have been taken up for Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar.

"The World Bank is investing in the "Bangladesh Private Investment & Digital Entrepreneurship" project. The tender will be floated soon," he added.

Apart from the central waste treatment plant, the Beza executive chairman said factories in Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar will have to have their own ETPs as well.

Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar – the largest economic zone of Bangladesh – is going up in Chattogram's Mirsharai, Sitakunda, and Feni's Sonagazi. As many as 120 industries have already signed deals with Beza to set up production units there. Of them, 13 industries are expected to begin commercial production by the end of this year or in mid-2022.   

Under the MoU, HSBC Bank Bangladesh will plant 40,000 mangrove trees and maintain them in the industrial city as part of the bank's corporate social responsibility efforts.

Mohammad Hassan Arif, general manager of Beza, and Md Mahabubur Rahman, chief executive officer of HSBC Bank Ltd, signed the MoU.

Md Mahabubur Rahman said ecological balance is being considered seriously all over the world and HSBC Bank is proud to take part in the tree plantation programme.

Beza Executive Member Mohammad Irfan Sharif, Abdul Azim Chowdhury, Ali Ahsan, and HSBC Bangladesh Country Head of wholesale banking, Kevin Green, were also present at the programme.

[Joel Ahmed]

[Joel Ahmed]

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/rmg/construction-garment-factories-bangabandhu-industrial-city-next-june-349225

Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury

27 December, 2021, 12:00 pm

Last modified: 27 December, 2021, 12:48 pm

Construction of garment factories in Bangabandhu industrial city by next June

 

Highlights:

• Bangabandhu Industrial City is being developed on 30,000 acres of land at Mirsharai upazila in Chattogram
• At present, the construction of infrastructure of the garment village is going on in full swing
• Beza claims some plots are already suitable for the construction of factories
• BGMEA says water supply to the industrial village has not been confirmed yet
• A technical school has been set up in Mirsharai in April this year to develop skilled workers for the industrial city

The garment village at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial City at Mirsharai upazila in Chattogram will be all set for construction of factories by June 2022, said the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza).

At present, the construction of infrastructure of the garment village is going on in full swing. Some plots of the village are already suitable for the construction of factories, said Beza officials.

"To hand over 16 acres of ready plot, Beza has already sent letters to three investing companies. If they want, the investors can start construction of factories as the supply of gas, electricity and other utilities have been ensured," said Beza General Manager (investment platform) Md Moniruzzaman.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) officials, however, told The Business Standard that water supply to the industrial village has not been confirmed yet. Once it is ensured, entrepreneurs will start building the factories.

"Although the pace of work slowed down after the beginning of the corona pandemic, at present, infrastructure construction of the industrial city is going on in full swing," he added.
 
According to sources, the Bangabandhu Industrial City is being developed on 30,000 acres of land at Mirsharai upazila in Chattogram.

To establish a garment village on a 500-acre site in the industrial city, the BGMEA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Beza on 21 March 2018. 

Beza authorities said the infrastructure and road construction, as well as setting up gas, water and electricity connections are in the final stages. Around $1,500 million will be invested, creating employment for five lakh people, once the garment village is inaugurated and fully operational. 

Beza General Manager (investment platform) Md Moniruzzaman said, "In the village, 321 acres of land, out of 500, will be allotted to 59 investors. Internal roads and drains, the infrastructure of various utility service providers and an effluent treatment plant (ETP), to purify industrial wastewater for reuse, will be constructed on the remaining land."

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said, "We are going to visit the garment village soon. Investors will start building factories if the environment is conducive."

Beza Assistant Engineer (Civil) Ferdous Wahid told TBS, "Tenders would be floated in January for the construction of internal roads, drains and other utility services; and hopefully, by 2022, all types of utility services will be ensured."

Ahmed Noor Faisal, managing director of Visual Knitwear, said, "The Beza has sent a letter to us to take delivery of the plot for construction of the factory. We will build a fabric mill at the garment village, creating employment for 500 workers. We will start building the factory soon."

Beza Manager (Investment Platform-2) Md Ahsan Ullah said, "Initially, we planned to hand over the plots to the investors by 2021; but the infrastructural construction slowed down a lot as the global supply chain was severely disrupted by the pandemic. However, by June 2022, the garment village will be fully ready for construction of factories."

According to Beza sources, several companies including Zhuzhou Jinyuan Chemical Industry Co Ltd of China, Nippon Paints of Japan, Asian Paints of India and Berger Paints are currently constructing their factories in the industrial city. By mid-2022, about 13 companies will be able to go into production.

Meanwhile, a technical school has been set up in Mirsharai in April this year to develop skilled workers for the industrial city. The school, funded by Clipton Group, USEP Bangladesh, HSBC Bank, is being run by the Organisation for the Poor Community Advancement (OPCA).

Mohammad Alamgir, executive director of OPCA, told TBS, "So far, we have provided 4.5 months' training in fashion designing and electric wiring trade to 155 people. These trained workers will be able to meet the labour demand in the garment village."

Meanwhile, garment traders said that even if the labour demand could not be met locally, the factories would be able to bring labourers from Chattogram, Feni and Noakhali. It would take 1.5 hours to reach the industrial city from Chattogram and from Feni it will take less time. However, if accommodation of the labourers can be ensured quickly in the economic zone area, the supply of labourers will get much easier.

BGMEA Vice-President Rakibul Alam Chowdhury said the water supply to the garment village has not been confirmed yet. Once it is ensured, entrepreneurs will start building the factories.

[Joel Ahmed]

https://bonikbarta.net/home/news_description/285643/বিশ্বব্যাংকের-দীর্ঘসূত্রতায়-ধীরগতিতে-চলছে-উন্নয়নকাজ

বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিব শিল্পনগর

বিশ্বব্যাংকের দীর্ঘসূত্রতায় ধীরগতিতে চলছে উন্নয়নকাজ

মেসবাহুল হক

জানুয়ারি ০৫, ২০২২

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৪ হাজার ৩৭৪ কোটি ২১ লাখ টাকা ব্যয়ে চলছে বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিব শিল্পনগর উন্নয়ন প্রকল্পের কাজ। গত বছরের জানুয়ারি থেকে বাস্তবায়ীতব্য এ প্রকল্পে প্রায় ৪ হাজার কোটি টাকা অর্থায়ন করছে বিশ্বব্যাংক। কিন্তু ক্রয় প্রক্রিয়ার বিভিন্ন পর্যায়ে বিশ্বব্যাংকের অনুমোদন দীর্ঘসূত্রতার কারণে প্রকল্পের অগ্রগতি হচ্ছে বেশ ধীরে। ফলে বরাদ্দকৃত অর্থ খরচ করা সম্ভব হচ্ছে না। তাই চলতি অর্থবছরের সংশোধিত বার্ষিক উন্নয়ন কর্মসূচিতে (আরএডিপি) বরাদ্দকৃত অর্থের ৭৬ দশমিক ২৭ শতাংশ কমিয়ে ১৬ কোটি ৭৬ লাখ টাকা নির্ধারণ করার প্রস্তাব দেয়া হয়েছে। সম্প্রতি প্রধানমন্ত্রীর মুখ্য সচিব ড. আহমদ কায়কাউসের সভাপতিত্বে প্রকল্প স্টিয়ারিং কমিটির (পিএসসি) সভার কার্যপত্র সূত্রে এসব তথ্য জানা গেছে।

সংশ্লিষ্ট সুত্র জানায়, চট্টগ্রামের মিরসরাইয়ে দেশের বৃহত্তম অর্থনৈতিক অঞ্চল বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান শিল্প নগরকে দেশী-বিদেশী উদ্যোক্তাদের জন্য দ্রুততম সময়ে প্রস্তুত করা হচ্ছে। এ প্রকল্পের আওতায় শিল্প নগরের দুটি জোনকে সবুজায়ন করার পাশাপাশি আধুনিক সেবা সংযুক্ত করা হবে। দেশের বৃহত্তম এ অর্থনৈতিক অঞ্চলকে সবুজ অর্থনৈতিক অঞ্চল হিসেবে গড়ে তোলার মাধ্যমে বিশ্বের নামি-দামি ব্র্যান্ডগুলোকে আকৃষ্ট করা এবং মানসম্পন্ন কর্মসংস্থানের সুযোগ তৈরির পরিকল্পনা নিয়ে এগোচ্ছে সরকার। এর অংশ হিসেবে ‘বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিব শিল্প নগর উন্নয়ন’ শীর্ষক এ প্রকল্প হাতে নেয় বাংলাদেশ অর্থনৈতিক অঞ্চল কর্তৃপক্ষ (বেজা)।

এরপর গত বছরের ৩ ফেব্রুয়ারি ৪ হাজার ৩৭৪ কোটি ২১ লাখ টাকা ব্যয়ে প্রকল্পটির অনুমোদন দেয় জাতীয় অর্থনৈতিক পরিষদের নির্বাহী কমিটি (একনেক)। এ প্রকল্পে ৩ হাজার ৯৬৭ কোটি ৪৬ লাখ টাকা ঋণ দিচ্ছে বিশ্বব্যাংক। চার বছরের এ প্রকল্পের কাজ ২০২৫ সালে শেষ করার লক্ষ্য নির্ধারণ করা হয়েছে। তবে প্রকল্পের কাজ দেরিতে শুরু হওয়া এবং বিভিন্ন ক্ষেত্রে বিশ্বব্যাংকের অনুমোদন প্রাপ্তি বিলম্বের কারণে প্রকল্পের কাজ নির্দিষ্ট সময়ে সম্পন্ন করা সম্ভব হবে না বলে জানিয়েছে সংশ্লিষ্টরা।

প্রধানমন্ত্রীর মুখ্য সচিবের সভাপতিত্বে পিএসসি সভায় বেজার পক্ষ থেকে বলা হয়, প্রকল্পের বিভিন্ন ভৌত কাজের ইনভাইরনমেন্ট সোস্যাল ইম্প্যাক্ট অ্যাসেসমেন্ট, ডিজাইন, সহনশীলতা পরীক্ষাসহ ক্রয় প্রক্রিয়ায় বিভিন্ন পর্যায়ে বিশ্বব্যাংকের অনুমোদনের দীর্ঘসূত্রতার কারণে প্রকল্পের অগ্রগতি ধীরে হচ্ছে। তাই কাঙ্ক্ষিত হারে অর্থ ব্যয় করা সম্ভব হচ্ছে না। এ কারণে চলতি অর্থবছরে প্রকল্পের অনুকূলে এডিপিতে বরাদ্দকৃত ৯৩ কোটি ১৩ লাখ টাকা থেকে কমিয়ে ১৬ কোটি ৮৬ লাখ টাকা অর্থের প্রয়োজন হবে। সভায় আরো বলা হয়, ডিপিপির (উন্নয়ন প্রকল্প প্রস্তাব) ক্রয় পরিকল্পনায় গ্যাস পাইপলাইন নির্মাণকাজ ডেলিগেটেড কাজ হিসেবে বাস্তবায়ন করার বিষয়টি স্পষ্ট উল্লেখ থাকলেও বিশ্বব্যাংক থেকে এক্ষেত্রে আপত্তি তোলা হয়েছে।

এ পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে বৈঠকে সিদ্ধান্ত গ্রহণ করা হয় যে, প্রকল্পের ক্রয় প্রক্রিয়ায় বিভিন্ন পর্যায়ে বিশ্বব্যাংকের অনুমোদনের দীর্ঘসূত্রতার কারণে প্রকল্প বাস্তবায়নে ধীরগতির বিষয়টি নিয়ে বিশ্বব্যাংকের সঙ্গে জরুরিভিত্তিতে আলোচনা করতে হবে। এ প্রসঙ্গে জানতে চাইলে প্রকল্পের প্রকল্প পরিচালক আব্দুল্লাহ আল মাহমুদ ফারুক বণিক বার্তাকে বলেন, বিশ্বব্যাংক প্রত্যোকটা জিনিস বেশ সময় নিয়ে নিরীক্ষা করে। তারা ডিজাইন থেকে শুরু করে আর্থসামাজিক ক্ষেত্রে এ প্রকল্পের কী ধরনের প্রভাব পড়বে সবকিছু দেখে। তারপর অর্থায়নের পরিমাণ ঠিক আছে কিনা, জলবায়ুতে ও মানুষের জীবনের প্রকল্পের প্রভাব কী ধরনের হবে এসব বিশ্লেষণ করতে গিয়ে অনেক সময় ক্ষেপণ করে।

তবে প্রথম কয়েকটি ক্ষেত্রে বিশ্বব্যাংক দ্রুত সিদ্ধান্ত নিতে পারত উল্লেখ করে তিনি বলেন, এজন্য আমরা স্বল্প সময়ে অর্থ ছাড় করতে বারবার চিঠি দিচ্ছি। কিন্তু তারা প্রক্রিয়া শেষ না করে টাকা দিচ্ছে না। তাই প্রকল্প বাস্তবায়নে কিছু ধীরগতি রয়েছে। বর্তমানে যে গতিতে কাজ হচ্ছে এভাবে অগ্রসর হলে নির্ধারিত সময়ে প্রকল্প সম্পন্ন হবে কিনা এমন প্রশ্নে তিনি বলেন, প্রকল্পটির কাজ শুরুই হয়েছে প্রায় ছয় মাস দেরিতে। তাই নির্ধারিত সময়ে কাজ শেষ না হলে মেয়াদ বাড়ানোর সুযোগ রয়েছে। 

বেজা সূত্র জানায়, চট্টগ্রামের মিরসরাই ও ফেনীর সোনাগাজীতে ৩০ হাজার একর জমিতে বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিব শিল্পনগর গড়ে তোলা হচ্ছে। নতুন এ প্রকল্পের আওতায় সেখানকার দুটি জোনের প্রায় এক হাজার একর ভূমি উন্নয়ন করা হবে। একই সঙ্গে গ্যাস পাইপলাইন নেটওয়ার্ক, টেলিকমিউনিকেশন, বিদ্যুৎ, পানির জন্য পৃথক নেটওয়ার্ক ও কেন্দ্রীয় বর্জ্য পরিশোধন প্লান্ট (সিইটিপি) স্থাপন করা হবে। ওয়ানস্টপ সার্ভিস ও একটি দক্ষতা উন্নয়ন কেন্দ্রও গড়ে তোলা হবে প্রকল্পের আওতায়। এছাড়া এনভায়রনমেন্টাল ল্যাব ও মনিটরিং সিস্টেম এবং বায়োগ্যাস প্লান্ট ও বর্জ্য নিষ্কাশন সুবিধা তৈরির কাজ করা হবে। বিশ্বমানের সবুজ কারখানা স্থাপনের উপযোগী করে গড়ে তোলা হবে এ শিল্পনগর।