No remarkable Industrial units have been set up in the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) estates In the districts of Patu-akhali and Jhenldah for the last few years.

Our Barisal correspondent reports: Patuakhali industrial estate was set up at West Majh-gram, three kilometres away from Patuakhali town in 1981 on 15.27 acres of land with a proposed expenditure of nearly one crore taka.

At the initial stage, the allocation was spent to acquire land, for payment of landowners. construction of administrative building, roads and pumphouse including the electrical works.

Only six industrial units were set up on the estate during last 18 years.

Of these six industrial units PatuakhaliTexfile Mills Ltd. Biswas Hardboard Factory and Jhilik Printing Press and Processing Industries remained shut since 1991 due to absence of necessary bank loan and Jack of buyers for their products. Since the establishment of this industrial estate only 18 plots were allotted for the industrial enterprenuers out of 79.

Last year the concerned higher authorities issued order to allot at least 25 plots in the BSCIC estate. Meanwhile, Kabir Multipurpose’ Cold Storage. Farazi Snrimp Culture and Processing (Pvt) Limited and Zakir Enterprise have proposed to set up their industrial units at the estate.

As the industrial estate is three kilometers away from the town area, the transportation system is very bad. There is absence of easy banking system. These are some of the main reasons hindering in setting up new industrial units at the estate.

A BSCIC source disclosed that Taka six lakh had been allocatted for the establishment

of small scale cottage Industries in 1997 and Taka Eight lakh had been allocated to build up industrial units in .1998 at the . estate. Now, despite frantic efforts to run the industrial units at the estate, Shaheen Pipe Industries. Rupali Steel Furniture and Bengal Auto Engineering workshop are on way of shutting down.

Our Jhendiah Correspondent says: Jenidah BSCIC estate has become a grazing ground of domestic animals at day time and a den of terrorists at night.

Bangladesh Small and Cottage industries Corporation (BSCIC) acquired 15.7 acres of land at Dhanhari mouza in the sadar thana, about three kilometres east of the district headquarters in 1988.

Construction work of the estate was completed a couple of

years back. But till filing of this report only 27 plots have been allocated. Of them only two units started functioning, one for tyre retrading and another for nursery development. Rest 25 entrepreneurs are not showing eagerness to set up their industrial units as the hoodlums have been demanding a good amount of money as toll from them.

An entrepreneur who was provided with a plot said that the local hoodlums had warned him not to start construction work of his establishment without paying toll. This has discouraged many entrepreneurs like him.

Another entrepreneur said that he had been discouraged to set up industry at the estate as the law and order situation has

been deteriorating In the district day by day.

When contacted some local people at village Dhopaghata, Gobindapur, Bhutiarguti, Pobahati and Kastasagra said that hoodlums had been reigning in the estate area for a long time.

While talking to the Deputy Manager (DM) of Jhenidah BSCIC estate he said that they had become hopeless as the entrepreneurs were not showing their interest to set up Industry at Dhamharia. But the overall socio-economic condition of the district could be changed if all the units could be installed here, he added.

He also Informed that Jobs would be created for at least 8,000 people if all the industrial units start operation here.