The country鈥檚 business leaders on Sunday sought more security for factories and goods carrying vehicles on roads and highways.
They made the urge at a meeting with General Officer Commanding of 9th Infantry Division Major General Muhammad Moin Khan at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association headquarters in the capital Dhaka.
The leaders of the BGMEA, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association attended the meeting.
The BGMEA in a press release said that the meeting was held in order to keep smooth operation in all factories and to solve the problems faced by entrepreneurs regarding law and order situation.
At the meeting, acting BGMEA president Khandoker Rafiqul Islam said that with the direct cooperation of the army, 99.89 per cent of factories in the Gazipur area, 99.51per cent of factories in the Savar-Ashulia and Dhamrai areas, and 100 per cent of factories in the Narayanganj, Dhaka city, and Chattogram areas reopened.
The discussion highlighted that in industrial areas dominated by the garment industry, incidents of violence were frequently occurring over the controlling of jhut business.
BGMEA leaders said that several groups of miscreants had been formed in these areas to dominate the jhut business, creating youth gangs that disrupted the local environment and harassed both owners and workers.
In the meeting, the businesses also requested enhanced security for goods-carrying vehicles for all industries, including exports, on roads and highways.
They expressed concerns over unnecessary delays in loading and unloading goods from ships in the Chattrogram port, which incurred additional costs for traders and reduced the industry鈥檚 competitiveness.
They also mentioned long delays in clearing goods at airport.
The meeting was attended by BGMEA first vice-president Syed Nazrul Islam, vice-presidents Md Nasir Uddin, Abdullah Hill Rakib, and Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, FBCCI president Mahbubul Alam, Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Zaved Akhtar, acting BTMA president Md Fazlul Haque and representatives of various trade organisations.
Industrial Police additional IGP Md Mahabubur Rahman, Army Task Force commander Colonel Abu Mohammad Mohiuddin, and representatives from BGB and RAB were also present.