As many as 350 industrial units are being built at a cost of US$ 4.5 billon at Mirsharai economic zone (EZ) near the costal line of the Bay of Bengal in Chattogram, aimed at creating employment opportunities for 0.5 million people.”The BEPZA economic zone is being established on 1,150 acres of land at Mirsharai. Some 618 industrial plots will be developed there for investors. The work is progressing fast,” Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) General Manager Nazma Binte Alamgir told BSS.She said construction of dike surrounding the project has already been completed as part of the first phase work, construction of one of the two proposed connecting roads is going on and land development of the project has also started.Nazma said it would be possible to set up 300-350 industrial units in the 618 industrial plots.In the first phase, some 250 industrial plots will be developed at a cost of $ 1.25 billon by June, 2021 which is expected to create employment opportunities for 150,000 people, she added.The BEPZA general manager said the Mirsharai economic zone will foster green industrialisation to conserve the biodiversity.At present, investors of 38 countries have a total investment worth $ 4.11 billion in eight export processing zones (EPZ) under BEPZA. Among 588 factories of the eight EPZs, 462 are functioning and the rest will be operational within a few years.The Mirsharai economic zone has got allocation of 1,150 acres of land which is half of the total area of 2,308.98 acres of eight EPZs of BEPZA.BEPZA sources said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked on May 18, 2017 with the government for establishment of the zone at Mirsharai.Later on 18 September 2018, the ECNEC approved a fund amounting to Tk 7.5 billion in the first phase for the development of Mirsharai economic zone.
