It also easily draws attention of investors or visitors because of its most suitable location.

Set up on the western side of Brahmanbaria-Dhaka highway at Nandanpur, 6 kilometres off the district town, the estate has good road, railway and waterway links with rest of the country.

The main attraction to investors is the Bhairab and Ahsuganj river ports just a few kilometres away, which allow them to transport raw materials and products to distant places at nominal cost.

"The ideal location draws investors but we can not accommodate any more as all the 137 plots have been allotted", said Abdul Wahab Biswas, Assistant Director General of the BSCIC Estate while talking to this correspondent during a recent visit there.

"We have 48 applications pending now", he said.

He said he sent a plan to high authorities to acquire more land for expansion of its area to give more plots to investors. But nothing has been done.

Because of good communication with the capital and Chittagong port, prospective investors are often visiting the site for plots, he said.

The BSCIC Estate was set up on 22 acres of land in 1985 at a cost of Tk 3. 25 crore.

The 137 plots were allocated for setting up 67 industrial units. Fifty of the units are now in operation and the rest 17 will start production soon, it was gathered by this correspondent.

Out of the 17, three units will start operation within 15 days. Machinery are being installed in seven units and the rest seven, installed earlier are being renovated.

The 50 units now produce goods worth over Tk 94. 15 crore a year. These employ 1678 people, BSCIC sources said.

These are producing small machinery, aluminium goods, fabrics and garments, cosmetics and soap, chemicals, plastic products, medicine, iron and PVC pipe, leather goods, pen, electric wire, food items and other goods. The small textile units employ the highest number of about 70 workers, who produce fabric and exportable towels.

The units coming up soon include a carpet factory, two chemical industries, and two food processing factories, the sources said.

The 17 units, when operational, will employ 1200 more people.

Besides good communication, the investors here enjoy smooth power supply and a congenial employer-worker relation, they said.

All the units are clustered on banks of lake dug in the middle, which creates a good atmosphere, they said.

Leaders of Brahmanbaria Chambers and Commerce were also found all praise for the BSCIC industrial estate. Talking to this correspondent, its President Md Farid Uddin Ahmed said they submitted prayers to the Prime Minister, minister concerned and high authorities for expansion of the estate by acquiring lands to allocate more plots to prospective entrepreneurs.