BSCIC looking for entrepreneurs to allot ready plots

Highlight:

• 913 plots vacant in BSCIC industrial areas in 14 districts
• All the 362 plots in the specialised industrial city of Munshiganj are vacant
• Interested candidates have to apply within the next 45 days paying 20% ​​of the total value of the plot
• Bscic will provide all kinds of facilities including drainage system, roads, electricity, gas and water to the entrepreneur  
  

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Hundreds of plots have been lying vacant year after year at different industrial cities of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) across the country.

In search of entrepreneurs, the BSCIC published an advertisement on Tuesday to allot its 913 vacant plots at BSCIC industrial cities in 14 districts. 

One of the industrial cities is completely new while the 13 others are expanded, according to BSCIC sources.

The BSCIC has sought applications from interested entrepreneurs to allot these plots. Interested candidates have to apply within the next 45 days paying 20% ​​of the total value of the plot.

BSCIC officials said the electrical goods manufacturing and light engineering industrial estate in Munshiganj is a brand new industrial city of BSCIC. Work on this project is almost finished. 

Applications were sought earlier also to allot plots at several industrial cities including Munshiganj, but entrepreneurs did not respond at all.

Entrepreneurs said that they did not show interest because the price of land in BSCIC industrial cities is too high and roads are damaged, besides security and ancillary services were not ensured. It is not possible to build industry there if the price of land is not reduced.

Abdur Razzaque, president of Bangladesh Engineering Shilpa Malik Samity, told The Business Standard, "In Munshiganj, each katha (1.65 decimals) of land currently costs Tk3-4 lakh. Even if entrepreneurs bought the land themselves and filled it up, the price would have been less than what the BSCIC is asking for."

Industrial cities with vacant plots 

According to BSCIC sources, 913 plots are vacant in BSCIC industrial areas of different districts.

In 1995, Gopalganj Industrial City, where 138 plots are still vacant, was established on 10.5 acres of land adjacent to Gopalganj town. In the same year, Moulvibazar industrial city was built on 14.59 acres of land where 121 plots are vacant. 

Moreover, 78 plots in Chuadanga industrial city, 60 in Barguna, 45 in Madaripur, 39 in Jhalokati, 33 in Khagrachhari, 10 in Sunamganj, nine in Lalmonirhat, six in Bhola, six in Meherpur, four in Patuakhali and two in Cumilla are also vacant.

The country's electrical product manufacturing and light engineering sectors are scheduled to be shifted to specialised industrial city in Munshiganj. But all the 362 plots of the industrial city are yet to be allotted as no entrepreneur has expressed interest so far.

Benefits of getting a plot 

BSCIC has promised to provide all kinds of facilities to an entrepreneur, including drainage system, roads, electricity, gas and water, if he buys a plot.  

BSCIC advertisement said there is an opportunity to take the plot in instalments – to pay the price of these plots in 10 years in 10 instalments. However, 20% of the total value of the land must be paid at the time of submission of the application. 

Interested industrial entrepreneurs can apply for the plot at BSCIC industrial city office in the districts. The plots will be allotted through district plot allocation committee. 

In the BSCIC electrical product manufacturing and light engineering industrial city of Munshiganj, plots will be allotted for setting up only electrical goods and light engineering industrial units. 

Women Entrepreneurs Network for Development Association President Dr Nadia Binte Amin said BSCIC was created with a focus on providing services to small, micro and cottage entrepreneurs who do not have the capital to buy land with one-time money. If an entrepreneur buys in instalments, he has to go to the local office. If he buys from the Dhaka office, he has to pay all the money at once, which is a complication, she said. 

She said the banks do not provide loans to buy land. The banks provide loans to buy machinery. Therefore, it is necessary to make arrangements, so that entrepreneurs can buy lands with a loan facility on easy terms.  

BSCIC industrial cities across the country have knitting and RMG factories, poultry and food processing industries, jamdani and hosiery industries, API, light engineering and electrical products, plastics, printing and chemical industries.