Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpanagar (BSMSN), an upcoming smart industrial city, is shaping the future of Bangladesh by attracting a huge amount of local and foreign investments, observed an expert on economic zones, reports BSS.
He mentioned that the strategic location of BSMSN along the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway and the advantages of being an ocean-front economic zone motivated the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) to dream in a bigger way.
Talking to BSS, BEZA Consultant Md Abdul Quader Khan said Bangladesh is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, even during the COVID Pandemic.
"With increasing economic prospects and industrialization, migration of rural population to urban areas has become the country's biggest challenge as the existing urban areas are becoming more concentrated. With a density of 47,400 people per square kilometer, Dhaka remains the most densely populated city on earth," he added.
By 2035, he said, nearly 110 million people, about half of its total population, are expected to live in urban areas; currently, more than 60 per cent of Bangladesh's urban population is concentrated mainly in four metropolitan cities- Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, and Rajshahi.
Given this pace of urbanization, he said, Bangladesh is likely to face challenges in meeting the needs of its growing urban population in terms of housing, transportation, energy, and other infrastructure along with employment and other universal services.
Abdul Quader Khan, also a development worker and consultant for environmental and social development, said a smart industrial city, to address the woes of urbanization, can be the perfect panacea.
"It propels the growth of an economy and spurs its development. It addresses the immediate need to provide adequate urban infrastructure, meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social, and environmental aspects using ICTs and other means to improve quality of life, the efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness," he added.
He mentioned that smart industrial cities are known to leverage technological advancements using the Internet of Things (IoT) platforms to monitor city infrastructure, overseeing everything from traffic flows, parking, water, and even air quality, and using the resulting data to handle long-term planning around environmental sustainability.
He said that BSMSN has been conceptualized to be built on a contiguous land of 33,000 acres, adjoining the Upazilas of Mirsarai, Sitakundu of Chattogram district, and Sonagazi of Feni district.
In the future, this city can be extended up to Companiganj Upazila of Noakhali district and Sandwip Upazila of Chattogram district, he added.