New fins are being added to Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City regualrly. Located in Kaliakair, near Dhaka, there is no way to guess from the main gate of this digital city.
Only the main gate is visible from the Dhaka-Tangail highway, and it looks a bit dirty as it was built a long time ago. But the more you go inside, the more logistics you will see. When the main gate opened and enters, the administrative building will fall on the left hand side first. Row upon row of dialysis machines are being decorated on one floor of this building which had to be imported from abroad at a cost of millions of dollars. Each machine saves about Tk. 4 to Tk. 5 lakh. Entrepreneurs hope that this will greatly reduce the cost of dialysis for kidney patients.
Block 4 is a quarter of a kilometer away from this building. This is another proud institution of the country. Data Center is an essential part of Digital Bangladesh. Named Bangladesh National Data Center, it has become the seventh largest data center in the world. In the meantime, it has been able to earn fame from various organizations. Giants like Google and Amazon have also shown interest in storing their data. Those who used to like Singapore or any other country for geographical reasons have also started the deal. Just as the launch of Bangabandhu Satellite is not just an institution, it is a matter of dignity and security, so the data center cannot be considered just an institution. On the one hand, it is saving Tk. 353 crore a year, on the other hand, it is ensuring the protection of state data.
The activities of 11 companies are going on in the beautiful nine-storey building of Sector 3. Engineers are engaged in the work of a factory, while the construction work of a building is going on with great effort.
In 1999, a meeting of the Bangladesh Board of Investment decided to set up a high-tech park on 231 acres of land in Kaliakoir. Later the area was increased to 355 acres. Although the work started in 1999, with the change of government, the potential high-tech park was plunged into darkness. After a long hiatus, when Sheikh Hasina's government came to power again, the path started with a new initiative.
The park has high speed internet, round-the-clock power supply, shuttle train for communication. Free land or space is available at low prices. It is expected to directly create 1 lakh jobs here. The project is being implemented in PPP (Public Private Partnership) model with the overall cooperation of the government. The products produced in the city have various benefits including 10 years tax break. Producers will get 10 percent incentive for export of manufactured software and hardware products.
In Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City, 70 companies have already been allotted 127 acres 24 decimals land and 2 lakh 96 thousand 498 square feet space. Of these, 12 companies are working. 90 percent of the establishments set up in the park will be digital product producers. The path of building a digital Bangladesh is also expected to create 1 lakh jobs in Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City. Meanwhile, 480 jobs have been created, said Director (Finance and Administration) ANM Shafiqul Islam.
Mobile giants like Nokia have confidence here. Robi has been allotted 1.5 acres of land in the software company category in Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City. The mobile operator will invest 2.6 million dollar there. Three acres of land has been allotted to Fair Electronics. The company will invest 10 million dollar in electronics, hardware and software production. Besides, 20.50 acres of land has been given to 9 allotted companies. The companies will invest 140.81 million dollars.
Orix Bio-Tech Limited will produce plasma. At present Bangladesh has to import plasma worth Tk. 2,000 crore. Initially, the company wants to meet 25 per cent of the country's demand, and production will increase by 25 per cent in the coming years.
A world class dialysis machine is being made in the park. An organization called Sonarbangla Foundation has assembled 80 percent at present but is moving ahead with its own production in the future. The company wants to export abroad by meeting the demand of the country in the future. An American company has proposed to build the factory as a supply hub in the Asian region, said Engineer Al Imran Sarkar, Assistant Director (Operations) of the Sonar Bangla Foundation.
Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City Director (Finance and Administration) ANM Shafiqul Islam told Barta24.com that the high-tech park in particular is being industrialized keeping the environment of the area intact as announced by the Prime Minister. The region is not changing much as it was in the past. There is 20 percent greening, the water bodies are being further improved. Although it was delayed due to corona, activities are now in full swing.
The site of the PPP-operated park has been given the responsibility of developing Summit Techno polis and Fiber at Home. The two companies have already allotted space to several companies, sources said. The project will make a huge contribution to the implementation of Digital Bangladesh announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This tech city named after the Father of the Nation is being built in the style of Silicon Valley. In addition to easy rail connectivity, Dhaka has multiple alternative roads. There is also improved communication with Chattogram port through Gazipur City. If the Padma Bridge is opened, the river port will establish a road link with Mongla. The government wants to set up 103 such high-tech parks and software technology parks across the country. Through which Bangladesh, a country of emerging economy, wants to touch Vision 2041.