PM steps in to resolve row over hi-tech park
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Jasim Uddin Haroon
The row between the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) and a Malaysian company is seemingly coming to an end as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed authorities to award the work on the country's first ever hi-tech park to the best bidder.
The premier has issued the order as the government wants to set up the 235-acre hi-tech park at Kaliakoir in Gazipur as one of the priority projects of the present government.
An official at the Dhaka office of the KTPC told the FE Thursday that the Prime Minister had directed authorities concerned to award the work to the best bidder.
However, the row ensued between the BHTPA and the Malaysian state-owned Kulim Technology Park Corporation (KTPC) over splitting the hi-tech park project into three parts.
The BHTPA earlier moved to set up the hi-tech park in a bid to add information and communication technology (ICT) and other value-added products to the country's export basket.
Soon after evaluation of proposals, the BHTPA changed its decision and intended to split the project into three parts and award the jobs to more than one bidder.
The KTPC, invited by the BHTPA to negotiate the split jobs, protested the move saying the authority did not mention anything about it earlier in the tender documents.
It alleged that the authority wanted to share the development work with an Indian company.
Later on August 6 the BHTPA in a letter warned the Malaysian developer not to waste time in completing negotiation on the proposed hi-tech park.
The Authority also said it would start negotiation with other parties, if the Malaysian company failed to reply within five days (by August 11 last).
If awarded the job, the bidders concerned will build basic infrastructures of the hi-tech park, which will create a congenial atmosphere for establishing industrial units in the ICT, engineering, electronics, telecommunication, biotechnology and some other sectors.
According to the BHTPA, the authority will provide land to the successful bidder for infrastructure development and attracting renowned foreign IT and electronics manufacturers to set up their units in the park.
The proposed hi-tech park will provide land to both domestic and foreign investors so they can use it for commercial and industrial purposes and set up electronics, mechanical and other allied factories.
The row between the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) and a Malaysian company is seemingly coming to an end as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed authorities to award the work on the country's first ever hi-tech park to the best bidder.
The premier has issued the order as the government wants to set up the 235-acre hi-tech park at Kaliakoir in Gazipur as one of the priority projects of the present government.
An official at the Dhaka office of the KTPC told the FE Thursday that the Prime Minister had directed authorities concerned to award the work to the best bidder.
However, the row ensued between the BHTPA and the Malaysian state-owned Kulim Technology Park Corporation (KTPC) over splitting the hi-tech park project into three parts.
The BHTPA earlier moved to set up the hi-tech park in a bid to add information and communication technology (ICT) and other value-added products to the country's export basket.
Soon after evaluation of proposals, the BHTPA changed its decision and intended to split the project into three parts and award the jobs to more than one bidder.
The KTPC, invited by the BHTPA to negotiate the split jobs, protested the move saying the authority did not mention anything about it earlier in the tender documents.
It alleged that the authority wanted to share the development work with an Indian company.
Later on August 6 the BHTPA in a letter warned the Malaysian developer not to waste time in completing negotiation on the proposed hi-tech park.
The Authority also said it would start negotiation with other parties, if the Malaysian company failed to reply within five days (by August 11 last).
If awarded the job, the bidders concerned will build basic infrastructures of the hi-tech park, which will create a congenial atmosphere for establishing industrial units in the ICT, engineering, electronics, telecommunication, biotechnology and some other sectors.
According to the BHTPA, the authority will provide land to the successful bidder for infrastructure development and attracting renowned foreign IT and electronics manufacturers to set up their units in the park.
The proposed hi-tech park will provide land to both domestic and foreign investors so they can use it for commercial and industrial purposes and set up electronics, mechanical and other allied factories.