The Privatization Commission has identified 1,700 acres of land of 39 state-owned enterprises which remain unutilised.
These lands are now in the process of being leased out amid strong opposition from the ministries and divisions, said officials sources.
A senior official of the commission, however, said only the land which are not within the expansion plan of the SoE’s will be considered for lease.
He also admitted that there is strong opposition from the ministries and divisions against such lease.
According to a subcommittee report, most of the idle land belong to the state-owned sugar mills and textile industries.
Out of 16 sugar mills, only four are operating now, the report said.
The subcommittee will place its report at a meeting today at the Privatization Commission office.
Executive Chairman of the Board of Investment (BOI) Dr Syed Abdus Samad will preside over the meeting.
The Commission Chairman Dr Mirza Abdul Jalil and secretaries of all ministries and divisions will be present.
Dr Mirza Jalil said the report will go to the cabinet committee on economic affairs for approval by next month.
“We will start working to lease the lands within three months,” he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
He however denied there being any opposition from the ministries and divisions against leasing the lands.
Earlier in December 2012, a five-member sub committee was formed. Director
General of the Prime Minister’s Office Md Abdul Aziz was made head of the subcommittee.
The other members include the respective joint secretaries of industries, textiles and jute ministry and an official from the Privatization Commission.
The committee for determining the area of unutilised lands in the SoEs has been formed, following a disagreement between the Privatization Commission and the other ministries concerned, over the size of such lands.
A period of two months was given to the committee to submit its report, to determine the size or area of land lying unutilised in the 39 state-owned mills under the industries, textiles and jute ministries.
Last year, the government formed a Privatization Commission committee to lease out the government SoEs lands.
