The Bangladesh Garment Manufac-turers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has sought more time from courts to relocate its headquarters to Uttara as the new building is not fully ready yet.The association submitted the plea to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on April 10 seeking the extension, according to some newly-elected directors of the trade body yesterday.However, the directors declined to state the time it has sought.“We visited the new office after the inauguration. It is not ready yet,” said a director asking not to be named.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the complex through a video conferencing from Gono Bhaban on April 3.The utility services and banks are not ready to run the activities from the new building, the director-elect said.The BGMEA started the construction of the new site on 110 kathas of land in October 2017 following a High Court verdict that ordered to demolish the current headquarters in Hatirjheel.Following a long court battle, the association finally began shifting from Hatirjheel to Uttara on April 11.So far, six floors of the 15-story building have been constructed.The director-elect says 27,000 square feet of space in two floors is ready for use.“But there is no water. A shallow tube well is being installed. There is temporary electricity connection but there is no generator.”The garment maker says the BGMEA cannot function without the presence of the Export Promotion Bureau and banks. But none has started operations in the new area. “Talks with Exim Bank are underway.”The director-elect says furniture from the current office would have to be transferred and the BGMEA servers need to be shut down and turned on again. He says factory staff would face trouble while visiting the new BGMEA headquarters as there is no direct bus service that connects the complex with the highway.Discussions are underway to introduce shuttle bus, but there is nothing concrete about it yet, he said.The construction of the complex, at a cost of Tk 250 crore, is expected to complete by 2020 December.
