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Protocol of 52m Finnish mark yet to be signed

Bureaucratic tangles bar Ctg Port modernisation project

From Nurul Alam
CHITTAGONG, June 29: Despite prior approval from Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC). bureaucratic tangles delayed the signing of an agreement for Implementation of "Permanent Container Handling Project" at the country’s major port in Chittagong, sources said.
The protocol for the project of 52 million Finnish mark expected to be completed about one year back between the two governments of Finland and Bangladesh, could not be signed so for due Jo dllly dallying tactics In some upper layers of Bangladesh administration. sources added.
Consequently, Chittagong port will be far behind from modernisation and face a tough time to cope with the growing trend of containerisation, port officials said
A senior official of Chittagong port who prefers
to remain anonymous told this correspondent that without Implementation of the "Permanent Container Handling Project" the tyo Multipurpose Berths (MPB) constructed at a cost of over Taka three hundred crores could not be brought under full operation to handle the increasing container cargoes.
The two MPBs, likely to be handed over to the authority of Chittagong port by the Middle of next month, may remain idle without implementation of the project, the official apprehended.
Under the project, the plan was to procure all modern equipments Including straddle machines required al the MPB for smooth handling of containers. the 'Official said, adding that the facilities now available at Chittagong port were quite Insufficient even to meet the present demands. The authority of Chittagong
port procured - four straddle machines on emergency basis to tackle the present situation, the officials also added.
According to official reports. Chittagong port handled 1.10.264 containers in the first eleven months of 1991-92 fiscal compared to 93,872 containers In the corresponding period of last year.
Replying to a que'stion about the unexpected delay, the official blamed the vested quarters for playing a "mysterious role" in a bid to oppose the move for modernisation df Chittagong Port.
Talking to this correspondent the Chairman of Chittagong port Akter Kamal said that without the implementation of the project, smooth operation of the two MPBs might not be possible. However, he hoped that the agreement for the project would be signed soon to raise the container handling capac-
ity of Chittagong port.
Meanwhile, Informed sources said the ERD ( External Relations Division), being Instructed by the ministry concerned requested the government of Finland to Initiate the process for signing a protocol for the project of Chittagong Port. The request was made recently through a hectic move In the backdrop of an indication from Finnish government about the abandonment of the project due to long delay from Bangladesh side, the informed sources added, saying that the Finnish pvemment also cited the rea? son of economic recession in Finland .
As a result, the fate of the project plunged into uncertainty, sources said.
The government of Finland earlier helped two other de velopment projects of Chittagong Port by providing 72 million Finnish mark.