Jagaran Chakma

The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) is likely to seek suggestions from top government officials over deciding the fate of two Indian special economic zones (SEZs), which have not seen any visible development over the past two years or so. 

Luxury hotels in Dhaka are yet to resume normal business activities as foreign and local clients do not feel confident in travelling to the country given that the overall situation is still unstable.

Workers from different sectors continued their demonstrations in Ashulia, Savar, Dhamrai, and Gazipur yesterday demanding equal rights in jobs, increase in salaries, and regularisation of contractual workers.

Amid workers’ demonstrations for better pay, regularisation, and two-day weekend, production at some 10 garment and 20 pharmaceutical factories stopped on the outskirts of the capital on Saturday and yesterday.

The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) has sought approval from the interim government to terminate an agreement for establishing SBG Economic Zone Ltd inside the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) in Mirsarai of Chattogram.

Workers in as many as 20 pharmaceutical factories have been protesting for nine days to press home their 21-point demand, in a development that has compelled many factories to halt production.

Flash floods across parts of the country, the lingering effects of recent nationwide political upheaval, and persistent inflationary pressure have prevented business activities from getting back on track, according to businesspeople.

Bangladesh’s imports of capital machinery, industrial raw materials, and intermediate goods fell for a second consecutive fiscal year, reflecting the depressed state of private investment and bleak prospects for new jobs.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) and S Alam & Co, aimed at modernising ailing state-run sugar mills, has been cancelled by the government. 

Transport activities, including movement of imported goods and those meant for exports, have been halted since Thursday as the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, the lifeline of the country’s economy, has been submerged by flash floods brought on by heavy rainfall and the rush of water from upstream.

The interim government’s first task should be to address the disparity in government facilities between readymade garment (RMG) and non-RMG sectors to facilitate export diversification, according to one of the leading exporters of leather shoes.

Although the need to diversify Bangladesh’s export basket has been a subject of great discussion for more than two decades, there has been little progress in this regard.

Three firms in the Bepza economic zone inside Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar in Chattogram have started operations and exports, according to sources at Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (Bepza).

Our journey to the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ), an eco-friendly industrial area in Chattogram, began on a sunny morning.

Although long-haul bus services in Bangladesh resumed five days ago, the number of passengers is still low as people are avoiding travel due to security concerns, according to industry insiders.

Paint companies are increasingly investing in developing new products, particularly those with a low environmental impact, according to Mohsin Habib Chowdhury, the chief operating officer of Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited.

Businesses in Bangladesh, especially those that mostly deal with cash transactions, yesterday said they are contending with a liquidity crunch as the country’s central bank has placed a limit on daily cash withdrawals from banks.

Economic activities are finally returning to normal after three weeks of upheaval as both garment and non-garment factories started operations in full swing yesterday, according to industry insiders.

Hotels, resorts and motels in the country’s holiday destinations are lying idle for a lack of tourists amidst the deterioration of law and order since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister on August 5 in the face of a mass uprising.

Factories are yet to start running in full swing for a lack of law and order since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister three days ago in the face of a mass uprising.