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No industry in North aggravates monga

Rafiq Hasan Rafique SARKER from Rangpur
Greater Rangpur suffers abject poverty during seasonal crisis or mongo, a famine like situation in Bengali month of Ashwin and Kartik, mainly because of absence of industrial base, said local business community.
"Since independence, there was no government initiative to set up and develop industries in the northern districts including Rangpur. Whereas, such initiatives could generate huge employment oppor- tunities and help the area get rid of the persisting poverty," said Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu, president of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
"We thought small- and medium-scale industries would begin to flourish in the area after completion of the Jamuna Bridge but unfortunately, there is no sign yet," said Sarwar-e-Alam, deputy general manager of Rangpur Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) Industrial estate.
Except for some air-conditioned bus services, the bridge brought hardly any benefit to the area that has a population of over 50 lakh, he observed.
Before independence, the then government set up two sugar mills and one soyabean refinery in Rangpur and since then there has not been any government-financed industry, said Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu.
"Governments since the independence have deprived us of public financing," he alleged.
Private entrepreneurs too are not comfortable with investing in industries here because of the geographical remoteness of the area and accompanying high cost for production, said Mostafa Azad Chowdhury.
"The import-oriented industries are not financially viable in the district because of long distance from the sea ports and international airports".
"Besides, lack of gas supply makes most fuel-dependent industries barely cost-effective," he observed.
Monga would never cease to plague the area unless massive income generating industries like textile mills, food processing units and catering services are developed, said Mostafa Azad.
He stressed the importance of having a separate industrial policy for developing industrial base in North Bengal.
"Without special and added incentives from the government, local and foreign entrepreneurs would never opt for large-scale investment here."
The other leaders of the Rangpur chamber echoed the view.
"In fact, mostly for want of policy support there has been little industrial development in last 33 years,'* said Mohammad Jahangir, vicepresident of the Rangpur Chamber.
Alongside setting up industries, the government could also lease the khas lands, rivers and ponds of the area to the landless in order for them to take up different income generat-ing projects like fisheries, poultry and dairy farming.
The chamber leaders said the Uttara Export Processing Zones (EPZ) at Sfbdpur failed to reap the benefits because of inadequate gas supply.
In the last couple of years, half a dozen industries were set up in the UEPZ and of them, only a sweater factory could go into operation, they told The Daily Star.
In Rangpur Industrial Estate set up by the BSCIC in the 60’s,there are only 21 industrial units, which can not generate employment for more than 2300 people.
To attract investment in the area, private entrepreneurs should be given special facilities like duty waiver, lower interest rate, tax holidays and uninterrupted power supply at minimum charge, observed the chamber leaders.
The chamber president said lack of knowledge among the local rich about the industries that would suit the area also contributes to backwardness of the area.
"We on several occasions wrote to the government for providing the local entrepreneurs with consultancy and technical support, but to no effect".
The officials of the Rangpur BSCIC said there is no plot vacant inside the estate on 20 acres of land. There is no scope for expanding the estate because it is surrounded by a river and a cantonment, said an official.
"We had submined a plan to the industries ministry to set up another BSCIC estate in Rangpur but that too did not progress," Sarwar-e- Alam said.
Though there are still some plots vacant in BSCIC estates in Kurigram, Gaibandha and Lalamonirhat, the entrepreneurs are not interested in those, he said.
Only a few industries mostly rice mills, flour mills and cold storage were developed in those estates, he added.