Hotel opens in Jashore Tech Park dormitory, unnerves entrepreneurs

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• Jashore Software Technology Park was established in 2017
• The government spent Tk 350 million for it
• Private company Techcity manages the park as a third party
• The company is building hotels and resorts in the park for commercial purposes.
• They also arrange social events such as weddings to make money
• Entrepreneurs are leaving the park due to lack of profits

The government established the Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park in Jashore in 2017 to develop the ICT industry and nurture entrepreneurs in the southwest region of the country.

But that goal went astray in just five years.

On January 26, Techcity, the company responsible for managing the park, opened a three-star hotel and resort within the park for commercial purposes.

Officials argued the move would undermine the park’s business environment and discourage entrepreneurs from investing there.

A park entrepreneur, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Business Standard: Than leave the park. “

“Tech City manages the park as a third party. They don’t care who stays here. I will,” he added.

Techcity officials said they partnered with Khan Properties to transform ICT Park dormitories into hotels and resorts to recover losses. Part of the resort will be built on the lakefront within the ICT Park grounds.

“We plan to build a hotel and resort to make the park more suitable for foreigners and local investors,” said Harun Ur Rashid, CEO of Techcity.

Bikarna Kumar Ghosh, Executive Director of Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority said, “We want to build a great resort in this park. The lake here will be beautiful. There are also speed boats on the lake. There should be no problem.” is,” he said. It will benefit both investors and visitors. “

Meanwhile, IT experts and academics have criticized the decision to build hotels and resorts in ICT Park. They say it will derail the prime minister’s vision of a digital Bangladesh.

Avo Technology CEO Khalid Saifullah told The Business Standard: And if it’s a resort, that would be a big mistake.”

Former Education Secretary Nazrul Islam Khan, who played a key role in the establishment of the ICT Park, said: “It is sad news that the ICT Park is being used to host weddings. The construction of hotels and resorts is also unacceptable.” says.

Professor Anwar Hossain, Vice Chancellor of Jashore University of Science and Technology, said, “This is the country’s first software technology park named after the Prime Minister. It should be maintained as a park for the development of the ICT sector.” I was.

There are also claims that park authorities are now more preoccupied with hosting social events such as weddings and birthdays than creating a friendly environment for ICT entrepreneurs. As a result, many entrepreneurs have already left the park, and those still there are struggling.

“We have an auditorium in the park cafeteria, but it’s more often used for weddings and other social events than tech seminars,” said one entrepreneur, who requested anonymity.

Sources say the park has completely failed to attract foreign investors, which was one of its goals. He was the only foreign company to invest here. But it left the park last year.

Of the 33 companies that initially signed contracts with the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, 22 have already completed their operations in the park. Most of his remaining 11 companies struggle to survive.

According to Techcity officials, 55 companies have allocated space in the ICT park, with 48 currently operating. Among them, only 9 companies are involved in software development and marketing. Other companies are involved in e-commerce, call centers, Internet service provision, digital marketing, and more.

The entrepreneurs complain that they first signed a deal with the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority to allocate space in the park. However, the contract made no mention of a third party managing it.

Sources say the government only gets 18% of the park’s revenue, while Techcity gets about 82%. Currently, the company is charging Tk 17.26 to Tk 24 per square foot for rent from entrepreneurs.

I am also dissatisfied with my electricity bill. Techcity charges electricity at Tk 14 per unit as opposed to the government tariff of Tk 10 per unit.

Shah Jalal, general secretary of the park’s investor association, said, “The rent for Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park is relatively high and the electricity bill is also very high. We have asked the authorities to reduce this electricity bill.” We have repeatedly asked them to do so, and they said they were working on it.”