Rajshahi is going to get a high-tech park as soon as possible through the best possible use of information and communication technology (ICT).
To this end, the necessary groundwork is likely to start by next September on 5 hectares of land which have already been selected for the proposed park in the city, reports BSS.
The observations came at a seminar styled "Establishment of Hi-Tech Park" held in the conference hall of the Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner's Office.
The district administration organised the seminar in association with the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
Various possible ways to intensify the ongoing process of setting up Information and Technology (IT) Village / Software Technology Park (STP) in Rajshahi city were discussed during the programme.
State Minister for Industries Omor Faruque Chowdhury, MP, addressed the inaugural session as the chief guest with Deputy Commissioner Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury in the chair.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Helaluddin Ahmed and Joint Secretary of Information and Communication Technology Ministry Sushanta Kumar Shaha spoke as special guests while Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Dr ANM Bazlur Rashid welcomed the participants.
Faruque Chowdhury said the present government has declared "Vision 2021" with a target to make Bangladesh a middle income country by using ICT and developing a favourable business environment for innovative companies. "ICT has been considered as a thrust sector." The government has taken various initiatives to achieve the target. Among those, a conducive business environment for hi-tech industries is mentionable, he added. "Rajshahi has enormous potential for setting up a hi-tech park as Rajshahi University and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet)
are creating more than 200 ICT people every year," Rajshahi University ICT Department Associate Profession Sabbir Ahmed said in his keynote presentation.
He says both university and industry can achieve their objectives by utilising the potential.
In another keynote presentation, Ruet Department of Computer Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Arafat Hossain said the hi-tech park would be established in order to establish a world class business environment for targeted high growth industrial sectors and new businesses.
The park will facilitate the development of indigenous technological capability for the development of local industries. This will also help them enter foreign markets by exporting state of the art technology products.
In Rajshahi, the developed infrastructure will facilitate hassle-free industrial operation with necessary support. Kailakoir Hi-Tech Park is the first state-level hi-tech park initiated by the overnment.
