- The estimated cost was Tk 336 crore
-Hi-Tech park to install in 12 districts
- Overall progress of project is only 36 pc
- Hi-tech parks 3 pc completed dist Ctg, Cox's, Cumilla and Sylhet
The current interim government has decided to cancel the hi-tech park project of four districts including Sylhet due to the inability to complete the work within the stipulated time and the progress of the project is slow.
This decision was announced recently. As a result, the dream of the people of Sylhet for employment around the hi-tech park has faded. It has been said by the government at various times that about 60,000 skilled and unskilled people will be employed if the hi-tech park after establishment in Sylhet.
It is known that an initiative was taken to establish Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park covering an area of about 163 acres in Varni area of Companiganj upazila of Sylhet. It is being implemented by Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority. Already, the construction of several structures including soil filling has been completed in the project. But while construction of the hi-tech park is slated for June 2023, the project's work has barely been completed on schedule. This project is going to be dropped due to slow progress of work.
This project was approved in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on March 8, 2016. Its estimated cost is Tk 336 crore. Initially the project period was December 2022. Later the period was extended by six months till June 2023. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the project on December 12, 2021.
According to sources, with the aim of developing the information technology sector in Bangladesh, the project to set up IT/high-tech parks at the district level in 12 districts including Sylhet, which started in 2017, was supposed to be completed within three years, but even after seven years, the project has not made significant progress. At present, the overall progress of the project is only 36 percent and the progress of the project in four districts is only 3 percent. The hi-tech parks with 3 percent completion are Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Cumilla and Sylhet. A policy decision has been taken to cancel the work of setting up hi-tech parks in these four districts as the progress of the project is very low. As the progress of the project in these districts is only 3 percent, the government feels that if these four districts are excluded, the cost of the project will be reduced and the pressure on the government will be reduced to some extent.
In this regard, a senior official of the Planning Commission said that the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) has organized a meeting on October 9 under the chairmanship of Rehana Parveen, member (secretary) of the Socio-Economic Infrastructure Department of the Planning Commission. There are several observations made to reduce the cost of the project. The next steps will be taken only after these observations are fixed by the concerned departments. Project Director (Joint Secretary) AKAM Fazlul Haque said; to take this decision, it has to be discussed again in the PEC meeting. Because it has Indian partners too. A tripartite meeting will be held in this regard through ERD. He said that a meeting was held between ERD, project implementing agency and Indian partners on October 23 this year. The proposal to increase the cost of the project is no longer applicable.
Fazlul Haque said that if four sites are left out, the cost of the project will be reduced and the cost of the govt part will also be reduced. As a result, the financial pressure of the government will be slightly reduced. The cost of the govt part was supposed to increase by around Tk 2,000 crore, but it will now come down to half. This included Tk 1,783 crore in CD VAT (paid to the government on import of goods from India). If the CD VAT is reduced, the government will have to spend about Tk 1,300 crore.
ZH
