The first ever heavy industry to manufacture sweaters in Rajshahi, is going to start operation from September next.This sweater industry which has been establishment at BSCIC area in the city belonged to ENA Group. At least 5,000 people will be employed in the industry at the primary stage while the number of employment will be increased when the industry will go in full operation.Asif Rahman, Project Director of Sakoatex informed, necessary machineries to be used at the industry have been imported from Japan and set up of the machineries and training for operating those machines have already been completed. The employment of manpower is also going on in this 100 per cent export oriented industry.He further informed, Sakoatex is the first ever large scale sweater factory in the northern region. He said, there having no facility of gas supply, no heavy industry was established in Rajshahi region earlier. Now, with the availability of gas, more heavy industries are likely to be established here. Housed in a six storied building, Sakoatex will manufacture 120,000 export quality sweaters per month at the preliminary stage and the production will be increased to one million (10 lakh) per month gradually.Dr. Mosleh Uddin, Deputy Managing Director of ENA Group informed, all works of setting up the industry have been completed and it will go in operation from September next.However, local industrialists and businessmen in Rajshahi are hopeful in expansion of trade and industries here due to establishment of heavy industries like Sakoatex.Liakat Ali, President of Reshom Shilpa Owners’ Association informed no heavy industry was set up earlier in Rajshahi due to various obstacles but with the inauguration of a heavy industry like Sakoatex, a new horizon in industrial sector in Rajshahi will be opened and utter unemployment scenario of this region will also be decreased.Engineer Enamul Haque, Member of Parliament of Bagmara constituency and Chairman of ENA group informed, despite having great potential, no heavy industries was set up in Rajshahi even 46-year after the independence. The Sakoatex is being set up in ‘industrially backward’ Rajshahi so that there was acceleration in trade and commerce here and unemployed people are provided with jobs.
