Meghna Group Chairman Mostafa Kamal has said that the government is seeking foreign investment even as the local entrepreneurs are deprived of essential infrastructural support.

“I have invested around Tk 600 crore, but denied gas and electricity support,” he said while addressing a programme held at a hotel in the capital, Dhaka, on Thursday.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI) and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) jointly arranged the programme to address the issue.     

“While we call for foreign investment, we are grappling with a severe power and energy crisis. The issue must be addressed with importance,” he said.

He expressed concern, questioning how the foreign investors could be encouraged to invest here if they face the same crisis, emphasising that a truly investment-friendly environment cannot be created without ensuring adequate infrastructural support.

Calling attention to the NBR over its questionable valuation on imported goods, he urged the authorities not to deliberately make the country’s business community the victims of deliberate harassment.

“On the one hand, the NBR conducts valuation on its own, while on the other hand, the traders are accused of under-invoicing or over-invoicing of the imported goods. This is a clear case of duplicity,” he said.