The first economic area is Rangpur division will be established in Dinajpur. For this, Dinajpur district administration has handed over 87 acres of land to the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, BEZA. The economic zone is supposed to be established over a total area of 300 acres.
Since this is an agro based area, agro processing factories, light engineering, garment and textiles and pharmaceutical factories will be established here. Since iron has been discovered in Dinajpur, an iron and steel factories will also be established here.
As unemployment is high in DInajpur, the economic zone will play a pivotal role in providing work to the youths. Also, this will trigger industrialisation in the north.
The Hili and proposed Birol port in Dinajpur while the Banglabandha port in Panchagarh can be used to export products mad here to India.
Deputy Commissioner, Mahmudul Alam, said: “the economic zone will be on 308 acres of land; of this, 87 acres have already been handed over to the BEZA authority at a nominal cost.”
The remaining 221 acres will be acquired and then handed over to the zone authority.
This will begin operation in two to two and a half years, he observed.
The prime minister declared an economic zone in Dinajour last December during her pre-election hustings.
Dinajpur-3 MP Iqbalur Rahim has said that all preparations have been made for the construction of the zone.