Jamuna River: As Sirajganj EZ prepares for production early next year, a dream begins to emerge along the Jamuna.
Within the 1,041-acre zone situated along the west bank of the Jamuna River near the Bangabandhu Bridge in Sirajganj, fifteen companies have been allotted 110 acres of land for the establishment of factories.
Notable progress was noted during a visit to the economic zone (EZ) on Thursday. We were almost done with the leveling and filling of the soil. Within the zone, construction was underway on boundary walls, roads, and man-made canals. In addition, a flyover connecting the zone to the Dhaka-Bogura Highway was being constructed by the government.
The Business Standard was informed by Sheikh Monwar Hossain, one of the directors of Sirajganj Economic Zone Limited (SEZL), that the soil work was nearly 80% finished.
He stated that the first project to enter production at the start of 2025 will be Active Composite Mills, which required two acres of land. “Next month, the necessary work for the building’s construction will be initiated by two or three additional factories. It is my hope that they will finish their work this year.”
By 2030, the director predicted that five lakh people would be employed in the economic zone. “The large region of North Bengal is home to the production of numerous goods and raw materials that are in high demand worldwide. All these products can be easily processed and exported through the industrial city.”
He went on to say that the project area will have continuous power supply from the national grid. Being situated along the Jamuna River will allow investors to utilize large amounts of high-quality water for industrial purposes.
The host stated that the area will have access to all international facilities, such as the hospital, mosque, retail store, government office, worker residence, training center, academy building, officers’ residential quarters, executive residential area, and investor cottage.
There are plans to build a railroad inland container depot close to the location. Mongla and Chattogram ports will be connected to the proposed rail network. Additionally, it will link West Bengal and the Seven Sisters in India with Sirajganj.
Sirajganj resident Imtiaz Ahmed, who works for a Dhaka bakery company, said that a lot of people from Sirajganj, Ishwardi, Pabna, Bogura, and Natore now commute to Dhaka for work.
He continued, “Many people will have job opportunities in the economic zone once it opens up, which will relieve pressure on Dhaka.”
The executive director of Lablue Babul Composite Textile in Sirajganj, Golam Sarowar, announced that his company intends to move its factory into the economic zone.
Famous throughout the nation, our towels, lungis, and sarees are now produced in accordance with the system if the factory is situated in the economic zone. This will increase exports,” he added.
A quick look at Sirajganj EZ
In 2018, a group of eleven companies received the final license from Beza to establish the Sirajganj Economic Zone. Textile and knitwear, food processing, pharmaceuticals, leather, automotive engineering, steel, LPG, fishing, and shipbuilding are anticipated industries to be present.
Knit Asia, Tex Town, Rising Holdings, Manami Fashion, Mahmud Fashion, Ratul Knitwear, Paragon Feed, Change Bangladesh, and SM Industrial Holding are among the consortium members. Two prominent businessmen—EEhsansul Habib and Mohammad Kamruzzaman—aare also part of the consortium.
The majority of these businesses are in the export-focused RMG and textile industries.
Numerous well-known local businessmen have shown interest in investing in the SEZL, according to director Sheikh Monwar Hossain.
According to Hossain, 400 plots will be developed; PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) will handle the master plan and feasibility, while the Japan Development Institute will handle the detailed engineering.
The executive chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza), Shaikh Yusuf Harun, told TBS that the relevant government agency has been asked to provide gas and electricity to the Sirajganj Economic Zone.
According to him, the industrial city is in a prime location and offers investors excellent multimodal connectivity.
Zone of green economy
The industrial hub will adopt environmentally friendly practices, according to Sheikh Monwar Hossain, with an investment exceeding Tk3,200 crore. “We want to use the Jamuna’s fresh water and supply it to factories after treatment—this initiative has attracted a lot of interest from investors.”
The Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) states that about 275 dyeing and processing mills are located in the Tamai and Belkuchi areas of Sirajganj, producing 1,000 litres of untreated liquid waste daily.
“We will provide extra benefits to lessen such environmental concerns because our economic zone is situated in the dyeing and processing area,” stated Hossain. “Our goal is to set aside 100 acres for small business owners, such as dyeing establishments, to encourage them to use our water treatment plant.”
Besides, the zone is designed as a modern industrial city while preserving the village’s natural environment, he added. 60% of the land is designated for factories, and the rest is for parks, forests, markets, ponds, educational institutions, and additional worker dormitories.
Businesses were given land in Sirajganj, EZ.
Many well-known local businesses have received land allocations from the Sirajganj Economic Zone. Among them are, among others, Apex Footwear, Text Town, Square Accessories, Apex Holdings, Rising Spinning Mills, Dynamic Dredging, Knit Asia, MK Chemical Industries, Ratul Fabric, Active Composite Mills, Rising Holdings, and Square Electronics.
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