The Bangladesh government will establish
an economic and industrial zone for the Chinese investors, which would create
congenial business environment for attracting Chinese companies as well as
creating scopes for employment of the locals.
The project “Acquisition of Land
for Development of Anwara-II Economic Zone” will require a total amount of Taka
420 crore for implementation. BEZA would implement the project by June 2016.
The Executive Committee of the
National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved the project at its 7th
meeting in the current fiscal at the NEC conference room in city’s
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in
the chair.
Planning Minister A H M Mustafa
Kamal, after the meeting, briefed newsmen about the outcome. He said the ECNEC
cleared a total of seven projects including the economic zone with an outlay of
Taka 5,039 crore.
“Of the total project cost, the
government will provide Taka 2,916 crore from the national exchequer while the
remaining Taka 2,123 crore would come as project assistance,” he added.
Kamal said that of the approved
projects five are new and two are revised.
The move for setting up an
exclusive Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone came after Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina had proposed an industrial zone during her visit to China on June 6-11
last year. BEZA had signed an agreement with the Commerce Ministry of China to
this end.
As per the deal signed with China’s
Commerce Ministry, Bangladesh will provide land to Chinese investors on a
long-term lease basis and a firm nominated by China will set up the economic
zone. Once the project is implemented, a huge number of jobs will be created
for Bangladeshis.
The ECNEC approved another
project “Greater Chittagong District Rural Infrastructural Development
(Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar district)” with Taka 366 crore. Local Government
Engineering Department (LGED) will implement the project by June 2019.
The project will cover 14
upazilas of Chittagong district and eight upazilas of Cox’s Bazar district.
Moreover, “Extension of
irrigation facilities by using surface water through ‘double lifting technology’
(3rd phase)” project with Taka 118.73 crore got nod of the ECNEC.
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) will implement the
project by June 2020.
Other projects cleared by the
ECNEC are Second Local Governance Support Project (LGSP-2) with Taka 3,940
crore (1st revised), Bongaon-Nunni-Hatipagar road widening and
strengthening project with Taka 63.66 crore, Postal transport system
strengthening project with Taka 78.33 crore and establishment of Chancery
complex at Islamabad in Pakistan (1st revised) with Taka 51.79
crore.
Ministers and State Ministers
attended the meeting while Planning
Commission
members and secretaries concerned were present. (Source: BSS, September 15,
2015)