Sitakunda to get ship breaking green industrial zone

CHITTAGONG, Apr 9: Industries Minister Dilip Barua has said the government is working hard to formulate industrial rules for the ship breaking industry and is going to declare Sitakunda as the ship breaking green industrial zone. The minister said this while visiting a number of ship breaking yards at Sitakunda today morning. Local lawmaker ABM Abul Kashem, Bangladesh Ship Breakers' Association (BSBA) President Hefazatur Rahman, former president Jafar Alam, MA Taher, Nizam Uddin, Azmat Hossain, Captain Salauddin Ahmed and Captain Enam Chowdhury were present during his visit. The minister said an inter-ministerial meeting in this connection is going to be held in Dhaka tomorrow (Monday). "The government earns a vast amount of money every year as revenue from the sector which could be enhanced if it could be developed as an industry keeping it free from environmental hazards," he said. Speaking on the occasion, BSBA President Hefazatur Rahman alleged that vested quarters under the umbrella of an NGO were out to destroy the industry. Mr Jafar Alam said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared it as a thrust industrial sector in 2009 realising the contribution of ship breaking industry to the nation economy. "But bureaucratic bottlenecks keep Prime Minister's initiative unrealised until today," Mr Alam alleged. - Our Correspondent