& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

SSA private container terminal

Secretarial committee for renegotiations

SHAHRIAR KARIM
The secretaries' committee on the private container terminal finalised its report yesterday suggesting it would be better to renegotiate deal with the Stevedoring Services of America (SSA).
However, the committee felt that a private container terminal should be set up in the face of poor service in the Chittagong port.
The committee comprising six secretaries, however, did not come up with any clear-cut suggestion on the issue. Rather, their report detailed out different options and its implications for the country, according to sources.
"As the issue needs political decision, we left it for the government policy makers. We've detailed different options and also focussed on the loopholes of the deal with the SSA. We hope our report would help the government to make a decision," one of the members of the committee told The Daily Star.
The committee sat for its last meeting yesterday, put finishing touches to the report and sent it to
the cabinet division.
The report also was of the view that building the container terminal on a 'build, own and operate' (BOO) basis, as proposed in the deal with the SSA, would not serve the country's interest. Rather, it is better to seal a deal on a 'build, own and transfer' (BOT) basis.
The report wondered whether it is possible for the government to scrap the deal with the SSA and go for a fresh deal. The committee thought that the government would have to face legal hassles if it scraps the deal as the US company might go to court.
The report believed the government could opt for 'Swiss challenge' option, which can open avenues for the government to go for an open bid to build the container terminal and then renegotiate with the SSA on the basis of the best offer received in the bidding.
"When there is any unsolicited offer from any company, the authorities can go for an open bidding and then come back to the company to strike a good deal based on the best
offer got in the bidding," said another member of the committee detailing the 'Swiss challenge' proposition.
The committee's report also viewed that there should a study on the location of the container terminal as to whether it would create a navigability problem.
The government signed a deal with the SSA in 1998 for building two private container terminals at Chittagong and Pangaon in Dhaka. But, the issue whipped up debate and sparked agitation especially by trade unions at the Chittagong port.
The deal for the container terminal in Pangaon was almost sealed with land lease and operating agreement. However, the contract for the container terminal in Chittagong port could not be finalised due to opposition from the trade unions including one belonging to the then ruling party, the Awami League (AL).
Even, Chittagong Mayor ABM Mohiuddin, an influential leader of the AL, opposed the move to build
the private container terminal.
In the land lease agreement for container terminal in Pangaon, it was proposed that the land be leased out to the SSA for 99 years with a provision for automatic renewal for another 99 years. However, the secretaries' committee thought it was a major mistake in the deal.
The terms of reference (TOR) of the committee was to look into the interest of the government and users of the container terminal, and how fast the deal could be implemented.
Finance Secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan, Shipping Secretary Ghulam Rahman, Commerce Secretary Suhel Ahmed, Law Secretary Afzal Hossain Ahmed and Secretary to the President Md. Abdul Huq was present in the meeting. M Saiful Islam, who was the shipping secretary when the deal was sealed with then SSA, was not present in the meeting as he joined the Asian Development Bank.
Secretary to the President Md Abdul Huq, who served as the joint secretary to shipping ministry in the late 1990s, was included in the committee since he was involved in the negotiation process for the private container terminal. And the law secretary was later included in the committee to see the legal aspects.
The committee with shipping, finance and commerce secretaries was first formed in late 1998 after the government approved the deal for private container terminal. Later, the committee was expanded with the induction of law secretary, former shipping secretary and secretary to the president into it, as they were involved in the initial negotiation.
But, the committee first met in June 2001 and decided that it would not be right for it to reach any decision on the issue; rather it'd better look into different options and their implications. Then the committee sat nine times before finalising its report yesterday.
"Hopefully we have completed our job. But if the government wishes and asks us to do some more work we might sit again," a member of the committee said.