Chattogram Port Protection Committee has expressed anger and condemnation over the decision to lease Chattogram Port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and overflow yard (OCY) for 15 years under a concession agreement.
The decision was taken by placing the matter under the “miscellaneous” agenda at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), although it was not included in the main agenda.
The committee’s convener, engineer Delwar Majumdar, and member secretary Fazlul Kabir Mintu expressed their reaction in a joint statement on Thursday.
In the statement, they said any decision concerning the port’s critical infrastructure and operations cannot be viewed solely as a commercial or administrative matter, as Chattogram Port is one of the country’s main gateways for foreign trade and a key component of the national economy. It also involves revenue, employment, port management, strategic security and long-term national interests.
They said the decision-making process on such an important and sensitive national issue under the “miscellaneous” agenda, rather than the main agenda, had raised questions among the public. They said the government needs to explain why the matter was not presented and discussed in detail as a main agenda item.
According to them, a long-term concession agreement could give a private or foreign operator influence over the operation of a terminal, revenue, investment, infrastructure management and commercial decisions for an extended period. They therefore called for the public disclosure of the agreement’s financial structure, revenue-sharing arrangements, investment commitments, risk allocation, employment and security provisions, and conditions for terminating or renegotiating the agreement.
The Port Protection Committee said it needs to be clarified whether the potential for increasing the capacity and revenue of the NCT under its own management was assessed before the state-owned terminal was handed over under a long-term concession.
It also called for the publication of a comparative assessment of the potential financial benefits to the state from the concession and the potential revenue if the terminal were operated under its own management.
The statement said opposing foreign investment or technology was not their intention, but state interests must be given the highest priority in strategic port infrastructure. Opportunities to strengthen the country’s own capacity through modern technology, automation, training and skills development should also be considered.
The leaders called for the full draft of the NCT concession agreement and its financial structure to be made public, along with an independent economic and technical assessment.
They also called for safeguards for the employment and rights of workers and employees and for national security and strategic interests. They said arrangements for open national-level discussions and parliamentary review could also be considered before finalising the agreement, if necessary.
The leaders said their position was not against any individual, organisation or country; rather, they stood for state assets, port users, workers and employees and the country’s long-term economic interests.
They therefore urged the government not to take any final decision on the NCT without disclosing full information and conducting a comprehensive assessment of the national interest.
They demanded the immediate cancellation of the decision to enter into the NCT concession agreement, the disclosure of all its terms and conditions, and a commitment not to finalise any agreement without a comprehensive assessment of the national interest.