Lalmonirhat is a bordering district of the northern part of the country. Surrounded by the Indo-Bangla border and rivers, the district remains ever-neglected. Development is hardly seen there. Being a home to a large number of low-income people, Lalmonirhat, where there are a few industrial units, is gripped by unemployment and the problem there is spiralling with days going by.
The upward trend in the pricing of daily essentials has worsened the overall unemployment situation in the district. Due to proper sponsorship and planning, the potential Bangladesh Institute of Small Industry and Cottage (BISIC) area in the district is yet to run as successfully as it could be even after 30 long years.
The BISIC looks like a grazing field now. This apart, the lack of interest among entrepreneurs, complexities about getting bank loans and manpower shortage are the reasons of no new industries getting set up there.
The BISIC authorities acquired 15.60 acres of land in Saptibari area under Aditmari upazila of the district back in 1987, which lies along Lalmonirhat-Burimari Highway. The infrastructural development was completed on 106 plots in 1993. interested entrepreneurs got allocated to establish 23 industrial units. But, only 13 of those factories are functional currently, where barbed-wire, flour, and plastic products are manufactured. One of those is a cold storage Poor communication system, continued losses and inadequate power supply are among the common problems that are hitting the BISIC area hard.
Habibur Rahman, of the BISIC unit, said it would become a vibrant industrial venture if loans on easy conditions are sanctioned and new entrepreneurship is created.
"But, the leasing fees of each plot has jumped to Tk57,000, up from Tk2,000 two years ago. This is one of the key reasons the entrepreneurs are losing their interest," he observed.
Contacted, BISIC Deputy Manager Mosharraf Hossain, confirming the matter, however, said," The unemployment problem in the district will drop significantly if more industrial unit are erected there, which will also increase the revenue collection."
Terming Lalmonirhat a perfect location for industrialisation, he said, "The road communication here was in a shabby state in the past. But, the Teesta road bridge improved the communication system to a great extent."
Locals still expect the BISIC area to help eradicate the district's unemployment problem, paving the way to smooth economic development.
bbarta/SN
