& 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

Privatise operational services of Ctg port

MCCI asks govt

Star Business Report
Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) yesterday asked the government to privatise operational services of Chittagong port to increase efficiency and urgently embark on a deep-sea port project to cope with rapid growth in marine cargo.
At a meeting with the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Shipping, MCCI suggested privatising documentation, vessel arrival-departure formalities, pilotage, vessel berthingunberthing, cargo loadingunloading, movement of cargo inside port compound and stuffingunstuffing of containers.
Privatisation of operational services would significantly contribute to efficiency and productivity of the port leading to improved turnaround period of vessels, MCCI President Kutubuddin Ahmed said.
He said as the country has no deep-sea port, Bangladeshi cargo needs to be shipped through Singapore and the shipment of cargo takes more time.
Addressing the meeting, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of
Shipping Golam Mohammad Siraj said the government has in principle agreed on setting up a deep-sea port and a study in this regard has already been conducted.
"As marine cargo has been witnessing over 15 percent growth in past few years, the country needs a deep-sea port besides turning Chittagong Port from manual to mechanical handling," he observed.
At the meeting, business leaders and Chittagong PortAuthority (CPA) confronted over what businesses termed excessive charges for port services while the authorities rebutted that the delay in taking delivery made the charges high.
MCCI leaders said cost of cargo handling in Chittagong Port is much higher than that in Singapore, Colombo and Bangkok. However, CPA Chairman AMM Shahadat Hossain said the port charges are lowest in the region but the charges run high due to rent as businessmen delay in taking delivery.
The average cost of handling a 20 feet container at the port is around $425 while the charge is $216 in Singapore, $220 in Colombo and $360 in Bangkok, MCCI presidentsaid.
CPA chairman said the port did
not raise charges since 1986. He said as the port authority has reduced pilferage, importers now feel safe to keep their containers at sheds for longer period resulting in congestion and higher charges. Incomplete documentation might be another reason for importers to delay in taking delivery, he added.
He said the charges of clearing and forwarding agents, shipping agents, stevedoring also contribute tohighercharges.
The CPA chief said private sector will handle all operational activities of New Mooring Terminal while CPA will only monitor the activities when the new terminal goes into operation in September, 2006.
New Mooring Terminal will have five jetties and will handle five lakh twenty equivalent unit containers a year. The private sector involvement will improve efficiency and productivity of the new terminal, he said.
Former deputy prime minister Jamaluddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association President MA Awal and MCCI Secretary General CK Hyder also spoke at the function.