In Mirsarai, Chittagong, a private company called Gasmin Limited has built two factories called Green Block. They are making holo and paving concrete block. The block factory, which went into production in March 2016, is now seeing full commercial success. A total of 20 kinds of block are made in the factory in a fully automatic manner with German technology.
According to the organisers, these two factories of Gasmin Limited's Green Block Factory located in Hinguli Union of the upazila produce an average of 30,000 blocks per day. The demand for such blocks increasing day by day. Apart from public-private development works, it is being used for the construction of houses in towns and villages.
Meanwhile, officials of Green Block Factory said small entrepreneurs have the potential to invest in this sector. In addition, the process of making concrete beds is completely environmentally friendly, so it will also play a helpful role in protecting the environment.
Gasmin Limited's Green Book Factory Manager, Enamul Haque, said that in March 2016, they started production of block in a factory. Later on November 4 in 2021, another factory was set up and production started there to meet the demand.
The officials of the company said the blocks have been used for the construction of the buildings and paving of the Pacific Jeans, Maf Foot Wear, Four H Group, Peninsula Airport Garden Five Star Hotel, Vertex Offdock Logistics Services Limited, Bay-Link Container Depot, GPH Steel and BSRM. Apart from this, the block is also being used for development work of Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar and PWD. And it is going to be sent to the whole country by river and sea from Mirsarai.
Afsar Kamal Siddiqui, Chief Engineer of Gasmin Limited, said 2.5 FM Sylhet sand, 1.5 FM local sand, OPC cement, high grade admixtures and concrete were used as the block materials at the Green Block factory. In addition, its PSI is determined through lab tests before and after production to maintain the quality.
Mahbub Ur Rahman Ruhel, Managing Director (MD) of Gasmin Limited, said the load bearing capacity of the building will be reduced. Besides, in terms of quality, it will be more durable than ordinary bricks. It can be produced without harming the environment.
Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) Principal Research Officer Akhtar Hossain Sarkar said, "The size of the blocks is larger than the ordinary bricks. The buyers can get it at an affordable price. It is also more effective than ordinary bricks in facing natural disasters including earthquake. It is better than ordinary bricks in terms of quality."