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The government has initiated a move to set up a world trade centre (WTC) in Dhaka city with a view to making trade and business easier, officials said.
The WTC will be the first of its kind in the country under the government initiative, they added.
The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) recently requested the commerce ministry to allocate 20 acres of land at Uttara or in the downtown of Dhaka city for the centre, they also said.
When contacted, EPB vice-chairman A.H.M. Ahasan said, "A move has been taken to establish a WTC in Dhaka which will be equipped with all kinds of modern facilities. We will start the construction work after getting required land from the government."
It was in the initial stage, he added.
An EPB source said the centre would be equipped with trade and business-related facilities including international trade institute, exhibition hall, shopping mall, food court, export goods display corner, IT zone, seminar/meeting room, international media and language centres, seven/five-star international hotel, international standard convention hall, required office floors, banquet hall, tennis court, swimming pool and other necessary facilities.
He said 5.5 acres of land had been purchased at over Tk 470 million at Hatirjheel from the Bangladesh Railway. But the district administration showed it as khas land and it was also included in the Hatirjheel combined development project by Rajuk.
The Bangladesh Railway did not take into consideration the frequent requests by the EPB to refund the amount of Tk 470 million as the railway was not the owner of the land and had no right to sell it, he added.
Later, the commerce ministry raised the issue with the inter-ministerial legal disputes settling committee of the cabinet division. The committee in a meeting asked the land ministry to inform the cabinet division whether there is any khas land at Uttara or nearby areas of Dhaka city.
It also asked the commerce ministry to inform it how much land it would require for constructing the centre.
Around 20 acres of land will be required for building the WTC, according to an EPB letter.
"The commerce ministry is now working on the proposal for construction of the WTC by EPB," a high official of the ministry said.
Earlier, the country's first world trade centre was built in Chattogram under a private initiative. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the centre in 2016. The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry constructed the WTC.