Nearly half of the industrial plots planned for the Jashore Export Processing Zone (EPZ) have been prepared for allocation to investors as development of the new industrial hub in the southwestern region progresses.
Of the 415 industrial plots planned under the project, 200 are ready for allocation, said Abu Syeed Md Anwar Parvez, executive director (Public Relations) of Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (Bepza), reports BSS.
He said construction of the EPZ is progressing under Bepza’s supervision, with infrastructure development and plot allocation being carried out simultaneously to help investors establish factories and begin commercial operations at the earliest.
The Jashore EPZ is being established on 510 acres of land at Prembagh Union under Abhaynagar upazila of Jashore district to attract investment, increase export earnings and create large-scale employment in the southwestern region.
The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on 9 November 2023, at a cost of Tk1,678.29 crore. The land was handed over to Bepza by the Jashore district administration on 23 March 2024.
Once fully operational, the project aims to attract around US$2 billion in investment, generate annual exports worth $2.4 billion, create direct employment for 1.5 lakh people and indirect employment for another three lakh Bangladeshis.
Anwar Parvez said the simultaneous progress of plot allocation and infrastructure development would allow investors to complete factory construction and other preparations while internal facilities are being developed.
According to the project update, around 70 per cent of land development work has been completed, while construction of RCC canals is about 95 per cent complete. Roads, drains, culverts, boundary walls and footpaths are under construction.
Construction is also underway on an office building, four six-storey factory buildings, three 10-storey residential buildings, two six-storey dormitories and two six-storey Ansar and security barracks.
The tender process for establishing a gas network by Sundarban Gas Company Limited is underway.
An initiative has also been taken to construct a 33/11 kV GIS substation under the financing and management of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, while the 11 kV electrical line and substation have already been commissioned.
Tenders have been invited for solar street lights and a water distribution network. Designs and estimates for the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) network and internet network are also being prepared. Two deep tube wells have already been installed.
