Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) – the first private EPZ in the country, is becoming vibrant with massive production activities and contributing to socio-economic development gradually. KEPZ Corporation (BD) Ltd of Youngone Corporation Limited – one of the largest foreign private investors in the country, started setting up KEPZ on 2492 acres of land allocated to it on the bank of the river Karnaphuli under Paschim Patiya and Anowara upazilas in Chittagong district back in 1999. The KEPZ authority started developing infrastructure with an estimated budget of $250 million and constructing factory after operating licence was issued in 2007. As lack of deed of transfer and land mutation stood on the way of leasing out industrial plots to prospective foreign investors, Karnaphuli Shoe Industries Limited (KSI) – another company of Youngone Group, started setting up a $110 million shoe factory in KEPZ in early 2011. After environmental clearance certificate and necessary permission, KSI by now completed construction of 22 large factory buildings for housing factories and two huge buildings for canteen, recreation centre, medical and childcare centres for the workers. While visiting the KEPZ on Tuesday this correspondent could see that KSI put factories in operation in 16 of these buildings for producing shoes as well as garment and padding creating employment for 13,500 people, mostly locals and those from neighbouring upazilas. With the recruited workforce including 70 percent women drawing minimum salary of Tk 8,000 each, KEPZ is already generating a money flow of Tk 10,80,000,00 for the neighbouring areas every month to bring about remarkable improvement of living standard and socio-economic condition there.
Recruitment in the operational factories continued while installation of machineries is going on in the other six buildings. When made fully operational these 22 factories would provide employment to some 24,000 people, said sources in KEPZ. Land has been prepared for constructing another six huge factory buildings to create employment for another 24,000 people by next two years, they said. Besides, another 16 factories are planned which will also come up soon, added the sources. However, the KEPZ officials underscored the need for developing more roads to and from the EPZ to facilitate journey of workers and officials to come from different areas. The authority would construct 12 dormitories to accommodate some 5000 female workers. Accommodation facilities are also growing fast in the EPZ surrounding areas. But, these won’t be sufficient for the huge workforce required for the factories to be developed here, they said. Mentionable, setting up of KEPZ with an initial investment of around US$ 2 billion aimed at creating employment for 1,00,000 people directly and another 2,00,000 indirectly.
Asked about progress in this regard KEPZ Executive Director Md Shahjahan said development of the EPZ and creation of employment would have been speeded up if the KEPZ authority could lease out plots to intended foreign investors for developing industrial units. But, leasing out plots could not be possible till date due to lack of deed of transfer and land mutation, he said. Asked about environmental aspects and proper utilisation of such a huge area of land, the KEPZ executive director claimed to have developed the site and prepared land for utmost utilisation as per terms and condition set by Department of Environment (DoE) in the environment clearance certificate (ECC), which was issued on November 23, 2009. Infrastructural development was made through trimming broken and denuded hills, proper turfing and slope stabilising following Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study, he said. The authority has already completed development of 2000 acres of land including 33 percent (822 acres) of the allocated land with green plantation and 19 percent (470 acres) as open space and water bodies as per terms and condition of ECC, said Md Shahjahan. Forty-eight percent (1200 acres) of the allocated land is available for factories, utilities, roads, accommodation, hospital, schools and other supporting facilities. Of them, 800 acres have been developed and 400 acres would be developed within next two years, he said. Keeping the environmental aspects in mind the authority raised 1.8 million trees on the land preserved with green plantation, developed 17 lakes spreading over 130 acres and a huge golf course on the land kept as open space and water bodies. The KEPZ Corporation also achieved recognition from the World Congress of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for developing KEPZ as a green EPZ preserving and enriching local bio-diversity, said the KEPZ executive director. In recognition of the good environmental practices, KEPZ has been invited to the World Conservation Congress-2012 in Jeju, to the Rio+20 in Brazil, the IUCN Asia Pacific Congress in 2011 in InCheon, and in Uruguay in 2015 to showcase their greening experience in these International Forums, he informed the daily sun. “We will continue work to establish a world class Eco-friendly EPZ in the country Inshah Allah,” he added.
