Power shortage dims future of Joypurhat BSCIC plots
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Our Correspondent
JOYPURHAT, Nov 6: Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) industrial plots failed to draw attention of the businessmen of the district after 19 years of its establishment. Only 10 Industrial units are operating in the area now but they are about to close down their business due to lack of electricity.
The government had already spent Tk 2.57 million for office construction, road, drain, culvert, water and electricity supply, telephone line and land acquisition for the industrial area.
Five officers and 14 employees have been recruited for maintaining the office of the BSCIC industrial zone and the government pays Tk 0.12 million as their monthly salary.
A total of 111 plots were prepared on 5 acres of land. The industrial zone was divided into three sections. In 1993 the price was fixed at Tk 1.174 million per acre. At that time the price of land beside the plots was Tk 0.2 million only per acre. The relatively high pricing of the plots pushed the industrialists on backfoot.
In 1999 the price of plot was refixed at Tk 4,76,000 per acre. A total of 82 plots were sold at that time.
Now 10 industries are running, 8 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 refixed the price of plots at Tk 1.231 million per acre. Because of the high pricing, sale of the plots was stopped.
Ziaul Haque Zia, owner of Kishan Poultryand Hatchery told the FE that they needed continuous electricity supply for 24 hours per day but they got the supply for seven or eight hours only. For rest of the time they run a generator to continue the production, as a result the production cost gets higher.
Like Ziaul Haque most of the investors of that area said to the correspondent that due to the lack of electricity they could not run their production. If the government would not take initiative they would face big loss.
Abu Bakkar siddik Assistant Director of Joypurhat BSCIC said,' The area has all the facilities and environment is favour able to establish industry. The zone is specially suitable for cold storage, meat processing factory, poultry feed mill, agri-inputs making factory and others SME industries. But the zone needs a separate power plant for continuous electricity supply for the expected production of the industries'.
JOYPURHAT, Nov 6: Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) industrial plots failed to draw attention of the businessmen of the district after 19 years of its establishment. Only 10 Industrial units are operating in the area now but they are about to close down their business due to lack of electricity.
The government had already spent Tk 2.57 million for office construction, road, drain, culvert, water and electricity supply, telephone line and land acquisition for the industrial area.
Five officers and 14 employees have been recruited for maintaining the office of the BSCIC industrial zone and the government pays Tk 0.12 million as their monthly salary.
A total of 111 plots were prepared on 5 acres of land. The industrial zone was divided into three sections. In 1993 the price was fixed at Tk 1.174 million per acre. At that time the price of land beside the plots was Tk 0.2 million only per acre. The relatively high pricing of the plots pushed the industrialists on backfoot.
In 1999 the price of plot was refixed at Tk 4,76,000 per acre. A total of 82 plots were sold at that time.
Now 10 industries are running, 8 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 refixed the price of plots at Tk 1.231 million per acre. Because of the high pricing, sale of the plots was stopped.
Ziaul Haque Zia, owner of Kishan Poultryand Hatchery told the FE that they needed continuous electricity supply for 24 hours per day but they got the supply for seven or eight hours only. For rest of the time they run a generator to continue the production, as a result the production cost gets higher.
Like Ziaul Haque most of the investors of that area said to the correspondent that due to the lack of electricity they could not run their production. If the government would not take initiative they would face big loss.
Abu Bakkar siddik Assistant Director of Joypurhat BSCIC said,' The area has all the facilities and environment is favour able to establish industry. The zone is specially suitable for cold storage, meat processing factory, poultry feed mill, agri-inputs making factory and others SME industries. But the zone needs a separate power plant for continuous electricity supply for the expected production of the industries'.