BSCIC plastic industry project cost almost double

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Shafiqul Islam
Published : 12:05, Feb 16, 2020 | Updated : 18:50, Feb 16, 2020

A man and a woman sorts out plastic bottles after they are collected from roadsides and garbage bins. File Photo/Syed Zakir HossainThe government project to remove all the plastic factories from Old Dhaka and relocating them to an industrial area has been delayed with the costs almost double.

In 2015, the government cleared the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) Plastic Factory city.

The project was cleared aiming to relocate the factories to a more environment-friendly place, produce good quality plastic, increase job sectors and speeding up economic development.

Located at Munshiganj and fully funded by the government, the project was supposed to be completed by Dec 31, 2021 but it was later extended till 2021.

According to sources, the project is being developed on 50 acres of land with over Tk 2 billion allocated for it. However, in the draft for the extension, another Tk 1.8 billion has been added for the cost.

The industrial zone will be able to house 348 factory units and is likely to create 17,400 jobs. The initiative is expected to speed up Bangladesh’s progress in environment-friendly plastic manufacture.

Amendments were made to the project due to increase in prices of land which led to the expenditure being adjusted.

The Planning Commission says that over 925,000 metre cube of the 50 acre land has been developed.

The project is part of the government’s 7th 50-year plan to increase GDP and create opportunities for small and medium entrepreneurs. Ten percent of the 360 plots in the industrial zone will be reserved for female entrepreneurs.

According to BSCIC, use of plastic has gone up by 20 percent and the industrial zone is being developed to meet demands. They said that 5,000 plastic factories have been set up already.

With 1.2 million people depending on this sector, the government draws Tk 20 billion in revenue from the sector.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun says that the plastic industry is a growing one with increasing demands and hence the government has prioritised it. 

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