BARVIDA (Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association) on Saturday demanded to have a realistic, forward looking and implementable automobile policy.
The association also demanded for re-evaluating the proposed draft ‘Automobile Industry Development Policy 2020’, saying that the proposed automobile industry policy 2020 will help establishment of merely a screw driving industry which will produce less quality cars and will also undermine the consumers’ rights to have better cars as they would be compelled to buy those from the local manufacturers.
BARVIDA thinks if the proposed policy is adopted and finalised to produce cars in the country, then the option of export of the cars from the country should also be incorporated in the policy so that a healthy and competitive business environment can be practiced in the domestic car markets.
The observations came up at a press conference organized by BARVIDA on Saturday at the ERF auditorium, Paltan in the capital.
BARVIDA President Abdul Haque made a power point presentation at the program while Secretary General of the association Mohammed Shahidul Islam delivered the address of welcome.
Former Presidents of BARVIDA Md. Habib Ullah Dawn & Md. Abdul Hamid Sharif, Vice President 2 Mohd. Saiful Islam Samrat and Executive Members Abu Hossain Bhuiya (Ranu) & Md. Yunus Ali also spoke on the occasion.
BARVIDA, at the program welcomed the initiative of formulating the Automobile Industry Development Policy 2020. BARVIDA is always in favour of establishing sector based new industries in the country. They will feel proud if Bangladesh has ‘National cars’ or ‘Made in Bangladesh’ brand cars, they mentioned.
However, BARVIDA also thinks, it is necessary to consider the current state of the industries concerned, experiences of other countries and the existing realities of the country, before allowing of establishment of any kind of industry in the country.
During the press conference BARVIDA claimed that automobile industry development policy has not been made following the existing industrial policy of the country. The proposed policy is contradictory to the existing industrial policy of the country.
“The proposed automobile industry development policy will merely produce a strong screw driving industry in the country in the name of producing homemade cars. The SKD (Semi Knocked Down) form has been abolished in the proposed policy (Source: NBR). It is not any farsighted decision for the country of allowing import of SKD and CKD forms by stopping import of CBU (Completely Built Up)”, BARVIDA leaders added.
BARVIDA opines that the country has a special need to have a realistic, balanced, forward looking and implementable policy for the automobile industry at a time, when the country has been graduating to a developing middle income country.
BARVIDA Organizing Secretary Khandaker Abdul Mumin (Pappu), Cultural Secretary Benazir Ahmed and the Executive Members Syed Jaglul Hossain, Md. Ziaul Islam, Kawser Hamid, Md. Anisur Rahman Khan & Md. Mahbubur Rahman, among others, attended the program.
