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Factories in port city cry for gas, power

Chittagong chamber president talks about the barriers to development

Prabir Barua Chowdhury, Chittagong
MANY of the newly built factories in Chittagong are yet to go for production, while some existing ones are running below their capacity due to a severe gas and power crisis in the port city, said Murshed Murad Ibrahim, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).
He also pointed to another perennial problem in the business hub — weak infrastructure, which he said is eroding efficiency in business and driving away investors.
"About a hundred of new factories can't go for production; many steel re-rolling mills are running below their capacity due to the gas crisis.” He asked the government to rethink gas supply to Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd and Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Ltd as these two factories are using the gas that was allocated for Chittagong industries. As a result, a gap has been created and the industries are facing a dearth, Ibrahim added.
As the demand for gas is increasing day by day in Chittagong, the government should set up another pipeline for the port city, he said.
He also said the government hiked fuel oil price by around Tk 10 within a month, which has affected the local market. He blamed the oilbased rental power plants and said the government is spending a huge fuel oil and subsidies for these plants. “To adjust the subsidy, the government increased the fuel price for general use," he said.
Due to the price hike of fuel oil, the price of different goods marked a rise by about 20 percent that affected people from all walks of life. He expressed frustration over the issue and said he cannot understand how the government would tackle the situation.
Ibrahim said the government policies for trade and business are all satisfactory, but all the initiatives fail due to bureaucratic barriers.
“When I went to purchase a vessel, I submitted all the documents to a ministry and according to the rules, I was supposed to get back the papers within a day.”
But he said he got the documents after three months. “This is nothing but harassment.”
He urged the government to remove the bureaucratic barriers to increase investment in Bangladesh.
Ibrahim also said local and international traders are facing trouble due to volatility in the dollar rate, which disturbs market stability.
His chamber is content with the present law and order situation but is frustrated by traffic congestion on the roads that creates a bad impression on the foreign investors' mind.
The CCCI president said his chamber is actively trying to draw the attention of investors. A team of the chamber started its mission in Japan and successfully brought investment in the call centre business.
On the successes of his chamber during his tenure, he said they were successful in stopping the transformation process of a tea auction centre from Chittagong, setting up a full bond commissionerate and ensuring full empowerment of the joint stock company.
With demands they placed, the government declared the ship breaking and recycling sector an industry, and an environment friendly policy for ship breaking is being prepared.
The CCCI president said they are building the
country's first World Trade Centre, and 70 percent of its work is complete. It would open a new door of opportunities in the international market, said Ibrahim, who is also a director of International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Chittagong Chamber is working in the port city as a bridge between the government and the business community, he said. Different officials of the government including the commerce minister bank on the chamber. On major issues such as price hikes and preparing budget, the government always takes suggestions from the CCCI, Ibrahim added.
On his contribution to the national economy, he said he has been doing business here from 1990, generating employment for people. His family business — Ibrahim Cotton Mill — played a vital role in strengthening the textile industry in the country.
In addition, he has two ocean-going mother vessels that have saved a lot of foreign currency. He wants to expand his business because the shipping sector has a great opportunity in Bangladesh. There are 65 mother vessels in the country, carrying 15 percent of export and import goods, he said.
To become a regional business hub, Chittagong at first needs infrastructural development, the best use of the airport, developed roads, sufficient energy and an industrial zone in Mirsarai, he said.
Ibrahim, who is also a former executive committee member of Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Bangladesh Chapter), backs transit but said the condition of roads in the port city as well as in the country is not favourable for transit. The government should first develop the roads and then go for transit, he added.
Ibrahim does not agree with the way the government wants to stop pollution. The government wants to remove pollution within a day, which is not possible, he said. “It is important that the government gives enough time.”