Chattogram port users and businesses yesterday expressed their concerns over delays in the construction of a bay terminal, the long-waited mega expansion project of the port at Patenga coast.
They also underscored the need for expediting other ongoing expansion projects, including the one for the Patenga container terminal.
They spoke at the 14th meeting of the advisory committee of Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) held at Shaheed Mohamad Fazlur Rahman Munshi Auditorium with State Minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury in chair.
CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Abul Kalam Azad moderated the meeting attended by Information Minister Hasan Mahmud.
Discussions with different foreign investors for the bay terminal are going on, said the state minister for shipping.
“The construction activity will start after the completion of negotiations,” he added.
Mahmud hoped the Patenga container terminal will go into operation by next year.
The CPA took the bay terminal project several years back to construct a mega container terminal and create a six-kilometre-long channel for vessel movement.
It was planned to complete the full project in three phases while the first phase was earlier expected to be completed by 2021, creating around 4,00000 square metres of container storage space.
Five international port giants, including PSA Singapore, China Merchants Sports Holding Company Limited, DP World of UAE, International Port Development Co-operation of Korea as well as India, have so far expressed interest in funding and constructing the mega project.
In its last meeting held in September 2019, the port advisory committee had decided to complete land acquisition for the bay terminal as soon as possible as a part of its efforts to include it in the government’s fast track projects.
While speaking at yesterday’s meeting through virtual platform, the information minister reiterated the importance of including it in the government’s fast track project list.
Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mahbubul Alam expressed dissatisfaction for not completing the land acquisition activity yet.
CPA Member Md Zafar Alam informed the meeting that the CPA has so far acquired 64 acres of privately-owned land for the project and land development activities is ongoing where a delivery yard would be built.
A proposal for appointing a consultant for building the delivery yard has been sent for approval, he said.
The final approval on acquisition of 803.17 acres more of government land is at the land ministry which recently sought an approval letter from Ecnec regarding the land acquisition, Alam added.
Source: The Daily Star
