& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Power, gas crisis delays investment

Refayet Ullah Mirdha
Registration of both local and foreign investment proposals rose in the first 10 months (July-April) due to the country's low production costs, easy market access to different export destinations and other facilities in overseas trades.
But, implementation of the proposed investment projects is being delayed because of a lack of power and gas connections, industry insiders said.
The investors demand special allocation in the next national budget for the improvement of gas and power supply.
A total of 1,436 domestic investment proposals worth Tk 39,542 crore were registered during the July-April period of the current fiscal year, according to Board of Investment (Bol) data.
The number of domestic investment proposals registered with the Bol was l,470worth overTk27,413 crore in the last fiscal year.
In case of foreign investment, the data shows that during the July-April period, a total of 163 proposals worth $3.83 billion were registered with the Bol against 160 proposals worth $841.55million in fiscal2009-10.
Of the total foreign investment proposals during the July-April period, 56 worth $178.17 million were registered on fully-foreign ownership basis, while 107 proposals worth $3.65 billion were registered for joint-venture initiative, according to the Bol data.
Except the investment proposals inside the Export Processing Zones and Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, all domestic and foreign investment proposals are registered with the investmentboard.
The highest number of proposals for foreign investment — 299 -- was registered in the textile sector, 227 in services, 120 in chemical, 117 in engineering, 74 in agrobased industries and 20 in food and allied sectors from July 2005 to April 2011, the Bol data said.
A director of the Bol said the country witnessed less foreign investment in the last fiscal year due to global recession.
"But, with the recovery from the reces-
sion, the foreign entrepreneurs have started coming to Bangladesh," the Bol director said, requesting not to be named.
He said the proposals in services sector are increasing at a higher rate as this sector is not heavily dependent on gas and power.
He said implementation of the projects is being delayed mainly for higher prices of industrial land and inadequate supply of gas and power.
AK Azad, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the government should increase allocation for gas and power in the next fiscal year.
"Proposals are coming for both domestic and foreign investment. But, we need to execute the proposals properly," Azad said.
Faruque Hassan, managing director of a local textile and garment manufacturing company, Giant Group, said many entrepreneurs cannot start production in their factories as the government stopped gas connections over the last two years.
Some entrepreneurs are sitting idle as they cannot start production, he added. "We want a solution to gas and power crisis in the next budget," he said.
Zaid Bakht, an economist and a research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), suggested the government reduce duty on import of industrial raw materials and capital machinery so that the entrepreneurs can minimise the cost of production.
Echoing with the views of the Bol director, Bakht said there is a scarcity of industrial land, and the prices of such lands are very high. Also, the gas and power crisis delays the implementation of the investment proposals, he said.
"So, the government should take immediate steps to address the power and gas crisis in the next budget, "he said.
reefat@thedailystar.net