Owners of the country’s sick industries seek the Prime Minister’s help to save their industries get rid of this situation.
The demand was made at the first meeting of the FBCCI Standing Committee on Rehabilitation of the sick industry on Sunday afternoon.
The meeting observed that after assuming the power, in 2009, the Awami League government formed a high-powered task force to rehabilitate the sick industry and settle their liabilities. The taskforce categorized sick factories into three categories namely Garments, Textiles and Non-Textiles.
Subsequently, as per the decision of the task force, the government had issued circulars settling the liabilities of 279 garment factories and 100 textile factories. But no non-textile factory has yet got this facility. Even though all these industries are sick, the banks have filed cases in the Money Loan Court showing that they are defaulters. As a result, they are unable to take on new business ventures. There were several meetings held at various times with Bangladesh Bank and the Ministry of Finance for issuance of the circular for non-textile factories, but no solution was found in this regard. At the meeting held at the FBCCI, the chairman of the committee, Sadeque U Chowdhury said, the Munsef Committee was formed in 1998 to rehabilitate the sick industry. The then Awami League government had set up a fund of 100 crore tk for the rehabilitation of sick industries. FBCCI Senior Vice President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu was present as the Chief Guest at the Standing Committee Meeting.
He said a separate desk would be set up at the FBCCI to assist and rehabilitate the sick industry. At the same time, a letter will be sent to each chamber and association to make a list of sick factories. After receiving the list, the FBCCI will take steps to rehabilitate the newly ailing industry through discussions with the concerned ministries and departments of the government including the Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh Bank. He also assured the FBCCI of its utmost support to save the ailing industry. Tahmin Ahmed, director-in-charge of the committee, said a letter would be sent to the prime minister soon asking for help in rescuing the sick industry owners.
The meeting was also attended by the co-chairmen Nasir Uddin A. Ferdous, M. Nazrul Islam, Sarkar Md. Salauddin, A.K.M. Khorshed Alam Khan and other members of the committee. Secretary General of FBCCI Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque was also present.
