Over 20 firms apply for units in Chittagong Apparel Zone

More than 20 apparel companies have applied for building their factories in the Chittagong Apparel Zone. The apparel zone is proposed to be set up on over 10 acres of land in the port city of Kalurghat, located several miles north of Chittagong. The project, to be executed by the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), will have around 10 seven-storey buildings.

The project is a joint initiative of CCC and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). It would be financed by BGMEA members. However, the floors (approx. 20,000 sq ft each) would be allotted to factory owners by the CCC for a period of 30 years, subject to renewal of contract every five years, Bangladeshi media reported.

The CCC and BGMEA have formed a project implementation committee headed by Chittagong City mayor AJM Nasir Uddin for implementation of the apparel zone project.

Several readymade garment units that need relocation as identified by various safety assessments, including those carried out by the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety and the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, will get priority in setting up their factories in the apparel zone.

The planned apparel zone will meet various safety standards prescribed by the National Action Plan as well as global retailers. It will also have ambulance, hospital, fire station, childcare centre and other facilities for workers. Waste management facilities and effluent treatment plant would also form part of the zone.