Inexperienced Sikder Group wants Iconic Tower project: Muhith

Local Sikder Group, which has no experience of constructing higher than four-storey buildings, has showed interest in erecting the proposed 142-storied Iconic Tower worth $1 billion, said Finance Minister AMA Muhith.

Only two entities — Sikder Group and KPC Group of Companies — took part in the bidding when the international tender for the building, touted to be the tallest in South Asia, was floated at the end of 2017, he said.

“The only problem with Sikder Group is that it lacks the experience of constructing taller buildings. I can easily reject its proposal because of their incompetence,” he told the gathered media at his secretariat office on the occasion of his 85th birthday.

The minister thinks the group has the backing of influential people.

“Now, Sikder may try to work jointly with KPC in the project to gain experience.”

Iconic Tower is a brainchild of Bangladesh-origin American businessman Kali Pradip Chaudhuri, who is the founder and chairman of KPC Group of Companies.

Four years ago, Chaudhuri pitched the thought of building a amazing skyscraper in Bangladesh to finance minister.

The government took on the task and made a sketch to construct the Iconic Tower in a public-private partnership.

Chaudhuri, who visited Bangladesh 45 instances in the closing four years, visited more than a few places alongside with Muhith and subsequently settled on a spot in Purbachal for the project, which was once in the beginning expected to be entire by way of 2018.

It has not yet been determined how and by using whom the constructing will be constructed, Muhith said.

The minister stated he will try to pace up the undertaking so that the high minister can lay its basis stone in her current term.

The most important auditorium of Iconic Tower’s convention centre will be capable to accommodate 5,000 people, while the predominant stadium of the sports complex will have a seating potential of 50,000 spectators, Muhith stated in his price range speech final year.

Once implemented, the mission will facilitate exchange and commerce and also create a lot of jobs opportunities.

The essential allocations will be made for the proposed project, which will need 70 acres of land, the minister said.