Submit sector-wise impact assessment report

Salman asks businesses
STAR BUSINESS REPORT
The prime minister’s private industry and investment adviser has asked businessmen to provide a sector-wise impact assessment report of the recent violence centring the quota reform protests, the government’s imposition of a nationwide curfew and a five-day internet blackout.
“We will understand the economic impact due to the weeklong turmoil when we get the sector-wise impact assessment report. The government will then take decisions for enhanced cooperation or see how they can be incentivised,” said Salman F Rahman.
He made the comments after a view-exchange meeting with business leaders at the conference room of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority in the capital’s Agargaon yesterday.
He said businessmen discussed five problems, including container congestion at the Chattogram port and a downturn in business due to unavailability of internet. They also urged the authority to waive the demurrage charges in ports and mentioned the high rate of bank interest and the long-standing gas crisis as further obstacles.
Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology, Ahasanul Islam Titu, state minister for commerce, and Mahbubul Alam, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, were present at the meeting.
Rahman said the prime minister asked him to sit with businessmen in order to identify their problems and address the difficulties stemming from upheaval over the past week.
“We want to solve the problems as they are with the government and we are also with them. So, we want to address their problems with due importance,” he said.
He added that they would sit separately with officials from the Bangladesh Bank, the ministry of finance, the ministry of information technology, the ministry of shipping, and the National Board of Revenue as well as with entrepreneurs involved in e-commerce activities.
Regarding the curfew, he said the situation is improving and it would be lifted gradually.
Rahman added that businessmen in Dhaka and adjacent areas faced huge losses compared to businessmen in other districts.
He also acknowledged people’s sufferings due to the Dhaka Metro Rail being inoperative after it was damaged by miscreants, adding that technicians would come from Japan to repair it.
FBCCI president Alam said they would try to place the impact assessment report ahead of tomorrow’s cabinet meeting.
He added that although the Chattogram port did not operate fully during the turmoil, officials worked manually to ensure it did not shut down for even a single day.
Regarding the economic impact, he said they are yet to get concrete information about gross losses.
He also did not make any comments about the Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s calculations, which estimated an economic hit of over $10 billion in the past week.
He said they could provide a total economic impact report after thorough assessment.