Power shortage darkens future of BSCIC project in Joypurhat
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Our Correspondent
JOYPURHAT Aug 8: BSCIC industrial plot failed to draw the attention of the district's businessmen after 18 years of its establishment in 1991. Only nine industrial units are operating in the area now but they are about to close down due to lack of electricity.
The government had already spent Tk 25.7 million (2 crore and 57 lakh) for office construction, road, drain, culvert, water and electricity supply, telephone line and land acquisition for the industrial zone.
Five officers and 14 employees have been recruited for maintaining the office of the BSCIC industrial zone and the government pays Tk 120 thousand as their monthly salary.
A total of 111 plots were prepared with five acres of land. The industrial zone was divided in three sections. In 1993, the price was fixed at Tk 1.174 million (Tk 11 lakh 74 thousand) per acre. At that time, the price of land beside the plots was Tk 0.2 million (2 lakh) only per acre. The relatively high pricing of the plots pushed the industrialists on backfoot.
In 1999 the price was refixed at Tk 4,76,000 per acre. Eighty-two plots were sold at that time.
Now nine industries are running, eight are under construction and another 18 are waiting to start production. The running industries are two poultry hatcheries a bakery, an oil mill, a bio-mixing fertiliser factory, two cotton factories, a colour purifying factory, and a plant of botanical feed.
In 2004 the authority re-fixed the price at Tk 1.231 million (12 lakh and 31 thousand) per acre. Because of the high pricing, sale of the plots stopped.
Ziaul Haque Zia, owner of Kissan Poultry and Hatchery, told this correspondent that they needed continuous electricity supply for 24 hours but got the supply for seven or eight hours only. For the rest of the time, they run a generator making the production cost higher.
Joypurhat BSCIC Assistant Director Abu Bakar Siddik said the area has all the facilities for establishing industry. The zone is suitable for specialised cold storage, meat processing factory, poultry feed mill and agree inputs-making factory. But the zone needs a separate power plant for continuous electricity supply, he added.
JOYPURHAT Aug 8: BSCIC industrial plot failed to draw the attention of the district's businessmen after 18 years of its establishment in 1991. Only nine industrial units are operating in the area now but they are about to close down due to lack of electricity.
The government had already spent Tk 25.7 million (2 crore and 57 lakh) for office construction, road, drain, culvert, water and electricity supply, telephone line and land acquisition for the industrial zone.
Five officers and 14 employees have been recruited for maintaining the office of the BSCIC industrial zone and the government pays Tk 120 thousand as their monthly salary.
A total of 111 plots were prepared with five acres of land. The industrial zone was divided in three sections. In 1993, the price was fixed at Tk 1.174 million (Tk 11 lakh 74 thousand) per acre. At that time, the price of land beside the plots was Tk 0.2 million (2 lakh) only per acre. The relatively high pricing of the plots pushed the industrialists on backfoot.
In 1999 the price was refixed at Tk 4,76,000 per acre. Eighty-two plots were sold at that time.
Now nine industries are running, eight are under construction and another 18 are waiting to start production. The running industries are two poultry hatcheries a bakery, an oil mill, a bio-mixing fertiliser factory, two cotton factories, a colour purifying factory, and a plant of botanical feed.
In 2004 the authority re-fixed the price at Tk 1.231 million (12 lakh and 31 thousand) per acre. Because of the high pricing, sale of the plots stopped.
Ziaul Haque Zia, owner of Kissan Poultry and Hatchery, told this correspondent that they needed continuous electricity supply for 24 hours but got the supply for seven or eight hours only. For the rest of the time, they run a generator making the production cost higher.
Joypurhat BSCIC Assistant Director Abu Bakar Siddik said the area has all the facilities for establishing industry. The zone is suitable for specialised cold storage, meat processing factory, poultry feed mill and agree inputs-making factory. But the zone needs a separate power plant for continuous electricity supply, he added.