CDA takes initiative to set up two garment villages
Abdullah Al Mahmud, Ctg/The Daily Star, Bangladesh
Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) has taken an initiative to set up two garment villages in the port city to cater for the needs of garment sector, the largest revenue earner of the country.
Under the initiative, CDA plans to develop the garment villages on some 114 acres of its land at Mansurabad in Agrabad and at Mohora in Chandgaon.
Responding to the long cherished desire and proposal made by the leaders of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association (BGMEA), CDA Chairman already held a preliminary discussion with Housing and Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas.
The minister also reportedly gave an assurance that his ministry will extend all-out help and cooperation and invited the BGMEA leaders to discuss the project involving over TK 50 lakh, sources said.
The BGMEA leaders wanted to meet the minister on April 19. But the meeting did not take place on the day because of the sit-in programme of the 14-party opposition combine in Dhaka.
“We now intend to meet the minister by the end of this week or next week,” said BGMEA First Vice-President SM Abu Tayyab while talking to this correspondent on Monday.
“The minister responded positively to the proposal,” he added.
CDA sources said that if the development authority gets the ministry’s nod, it would start the process of setting up the garment villages on some 64 acres of land at Mansurabad and on some 50 acres of land at Mohora by this year.
The planned sites were likely to offer the best communication and other facilities to make the proposed villages very lucrative ones, attracting huge investment in this sector, BGMEA leaders said.
At present, the port city has over 650 garment units producing some 40 per cent of the total garment products in the county and thus contributing a lot to the national economy, according to sources.
The necessity of garment villages was strongly felt when the garment sector started facing new challenges of the post-MFA era and the buyers also started putting pressure to develop standard and safety compliance in order to ensure the quality of products and rights of the workers.
The demand for separate garments was raised once again after the country’s worst-ever factory fire incident left more than 60 KTS garments workers dead on February 23 and put a dent on the sector.
It prompted the BGMEA leaders in Chittagong to pursue the proposal made by the Chittagong City Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury back in 1999 to set up garment village in Fateyabad area.
But the Chittagong City Corporation reportedly disappointed the BGMEA leaders in this regard.
In the wake of the KTS garments fire, CDA also launched a drive against the garment units set up in residential or commercial buildings and asked the 59 garments owners to shift their factories to industrial buildings.
The BGMEA leaders then met CDA Chairman Shah Mohammad Akhter Uddin and proposed setting up garment villages in Chittagong.
Following the meeting held early this month, the CDA chairman forwarded the proposal to Housing Minister Mirza Abbas.
And positive response from the minister encouraged the BGMEA leaders to go ahead with proposal, sources said.
The BGMEA leaders hoped that the ministry would give its nod soon for starting the process of setting up garment villages.
