Leading Ctg businessman laments dependence on govt offices in Dhaka

Though Chattogram is termed as the country's commercial capital, businesses there still depend on government offices in Dhaka for licences and documentations required to do business, according to a businessperson in Chattogram. 

Syed M Tanvir, managing director of Pacific Jeans, made the comment while speaking at a discussion styled "Significance of the Port City in the Journey to Trillion-dollar Economy" held on Monday.

A panel of business owners' platform Bebsayee Oikya Parishad organised the event at Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View.

Leader of the panel, Mahbubul Alam, the incumbent president of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), introduced 23 candidates of his panel for the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) polls scheduled for July 31.

"Businesses based in Chattogram are still dependent on regulatory approval of at least 17 documentations required for operating business," said Tanvir, also a vice-president of the CCCI.

"Businesses based in Chattogram are still dependent on regulatory approval of at least 17 documentations required for operating business," said Syed M Tanvir, managing director of Pacific Jeans.

Last year the size of Chattogram's economy was $43 billion which is 10 per cent of the country's overall $430 billion economy.

The government is preparing the region to be a platform for substantial industrial growth in the near future by undertaking a number of mega projects in Chattogram, Tanvir said.

He hopes for Chattogram's contribution to the national economy to reach around $400 billion within the next 10 years, on condition that businesses there can properly capitalise on the infrastructural development.

Businesses at the discussion highlighted different problems faced by Chattogram-based businesses, including discrimination on weight scales on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and severe water crisis in Mirsarai, Sitakunda and other industrial zones.

They urged the upcoming leaders of the FBCCI to address the issues for the sake of smooth industrial growth in the region.

MA Latif, lawmaker and former president of the CCCI, was the chief guest at the programme with Tarafder Ruhul Amin, senior vice-president, in the chair.

Top business leaders based in Chattogram at the programme voiced support for Mahbubul Alam as the next chief of the country's apex trade body.

Alam, chairman of M Alam Group, was elected president of the CCCI for five consecutive times.

Citing Alam as an inspiration for others, PHP Group Chairman Sufi Mohammed Mizanur Rahman hoped that the upcoming FBCCI leaders would face all obstacles amidst the Russia-Ukraine war to materialise the dream of a trillion-dollar economy.

Seeking votes for him and his panel, Mahbubul Alam said the Okiya Parishad panel, comprising experienced and young entrepreneurs, would play a role in leading the journey towards a trillion-dollar economy.

Among others, Khalilur Rahman, chairman of KDS Group and president of the Chattogram Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Syed Nazrul Islam, first vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Mohammed Amirul Haque, managing director and CEO of Premier Cement, MA Salam, managing director of Asian Group, Syed M Arif, president of Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association, Khairul Alam Sujan, vice-president of Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association, Mohammad Ali, chairman of Parishad Election Management Committee, and Helal Uddin, co-chairman, were present.