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The situation of Chittagong port, which
is known as the lifeline of the economy of Bangladesh, has improved a lot.
Once the port users used to make various complaints regarding import and
export, but now that is not the case. The income of the port is also increasing
every year. The Port Authority is carrying out various development activities
with its own funds. The investment of Bangladeshis is connected with this. Both
sides' efforts have also changed port conditions around the world. But a party
has emerged to hand over port operations to foreigners. Experts are of the
opinion that leaving a ready-made port in the hands of foreigners will lead to
the loss of valuable foreign currency from Bangladesh. It would be suicidal to
leave this vital service sector in the hands of foreigners when governments
are trying to save foreign exchange in a global economic downturn.
According to the government's Economic
Survey, the revenue from Chittagong Port in the fiscal year 2010-11 was over Tk
1,453 crore. In the financial year 2015-16, it increased to 2 thousand 30
crores. In the recently concluded the fiscal year 2021-22, this income has
increased to about 3 thousand 600 crores. The rise of this sector, which is one
of the income earners of the government, has attracted the attention of a
special circle. While the port authority is implementing various projects to
increase the quality of this essential service from its own income, leaving the
management activities to foreign companies is considered by many to be a big
loss for the country.
Once upon a time, there were various complications in the operation of the port. The port authority had to spend Tk 2700 for a container after various service charges and surcharges. Even importers had to spend Tk 100 per container to locate the container. Due to various charges, the import and export costs of entrepreneurs would increase manifold. As a result, before 2007 Chittagong port was the most expensive and inefficient port in the world. Bribery, corruption, politically supported labor unions, and inefficiency had left the port virtually defunct. Labor unions and unskilled operators called strikes from time to time. As a result, the price of imported consumer goods in the local market would increase. The industrial owners could not redeem the raw materials on time. That is no longer the case. Currently, the total cost of handling a container is only Tk 1,200.
According to various sources, before
2007 the average stay of a ship at the port was 10 to 12 days at most. Foreign
ship owners had to pay additional duties. Many companies did not want to send
their ships to Chittagong port. But including the private sector, the average
stay of a vessel at Newmooring Container Terminal and Chittagong Container
Terminal is now a maximum of 48 hours. On the one hand, the cost of container
handling has decreased, and on the other hand, the cost of importing and
exporting goods has decreased due to the decrease in the average position of
the ship.
Along with increasing the capacity of Chittagong
port, the service quality has increased and business management has become
easier through this port. As the container handling increased, so did the
port's income. According to a statistic, a total of 9 lakh 58 thousand 20 TEUJ
containers were handled in Chittagong port in 2007. In 2015 it increased to 20
lakh 19 thousand 467 TEUs. And in 2021, the total amount of handling stood at
28 lakh 83 thousand 154 TEUJ.
At present two terminals of Chittagong port are being operated by the private sector and many operations have been automated. Now the position of the container can be identified automatically through mobile SMS. This reduces the waste of time and money. It should be noted here that after 2007, Chittagong Port Authority undertook various reform activities for the port, thinking about the national economic growth. In this, initiatives were taken to free container and ship congestion by stopping corruption, abolishing labor unions, and stopping the practice of stevitors. Then it was decided to leave the service sector of this important establishment to the private sector. Essentially: The productivity of the port continued to increase during this period. Earlier, 10 to 12 containers were handled per hour, but due to the addition of skilled operators, now 25 to 30 containers are being handled.
In 2009, the London-based international shipping journal Lloyd's ranked 98th in the list of 100 container ports in the world in the continuous productivity of Chittagong Port. In 2022, it rose to 64th place.
According to analysts, traders currently
have no complaints about the port. Port revenue increased. The port itself is
self-sufficient in carrying out development activities. In addition, the income
of the port is also used to finance other development activities of the
government. Moreover, where domestic investors have worked efficiently in this
service sector, it is desirable to bring in foreigners to manage the port.
Analysts say that Chittagong Port does not need foreign investors at the level it has reached. The port authority can take it to a higher level with the help of domestic investors. The capacity of the port has already been proven.
Source:
Online/SZK
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