The fate of structurally-unsound apparel factories’ relocation now hangs in the balance as almost no headway has so far been made in setting up a ‘garment palli’ at Bausia in Munshiganj for housing them, industry insiders said. Besides, non-availability of gas and other infrastructural supports have emerged as main roadblocks to shifting such apparel units to other suitable areas, they added. According to them, small and medium-sized units, mostly housed in shared or rented buildings at Mirpur, Mohakhali and Malibagh in the city, and the majority of the factories in the port city need relocation for ensuring safety. Industry insiders claimed that work of setting up the garment palli at Bausia virtually came to a standstill. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that gave the project priority recently also expressed its dissatisfaction over the slow progress of the proposed palli, people involved with the process said. The plan to set up the palli was taken up in December 2005. The demand for a separate garment palli for the relocation of rented and vulnerable garment units got stronger after the country’s worst-ever industrial accidents – Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza building collapse. The tragic incidents one after another drew local and global attention and the global buyers asked for health, fire, electrical and structural safety issues. ast year BGMEA and a Chinese company signed a framework agreement, they said, adding that the Chinese company is expected to invest $2.3 billion in the park by 2022 in three phases. It will be possible to shift more than 300 garment factories to the palli covering about 500 acres of land. A feasibility study report was handed over to the commerce ministry in June last while the Chinese company had invested Tk 12 million for initial environmental examination, they said. As the park will be set up with Chinese investment, the company needs approval from its authorities concerned, they said, adding that it had sought time-extension in this regard till December. “At least 30 per cent out of active garment factories need to be relocated in the long run for better workplace safety,” Faruque Hassan, senior vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), told the FE. Factories housed in shared buildings are not a problem if they maintain compliance issues, he said, adding that but some buyers are not placing orders to those units that accommodate other establishments in the same buildings. For the sake of safety and sustaining business, they have to move to structures built for industrial purposes. Admitting slow progress in the proposed palli, he said, “It is time-consuming process to set up industrial park.” But it is possible for relocation of factories outside Dhaka as many entrepreneurs have their own land, he said, adding that they just need gas and electricity connections. “The government should provide gas connection on a priority basis who want to shift for the sake of safety,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, a former BGMEA president, said.
