Daily News Blog

Ctg port protection committee threatens complete shutdown

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CHATTOGRAM, Oct 05: Leaders of the Chattogram Port Protection Committee have threatened to shut down operations at the country's prime seaport if the government signs any agreement to hand over the operation of New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to a foreign operator

The committee issued the warning on Monday during a daylong sit-in in front of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) building, demanding cancellation of the proposed 15-year concession agreement for operating and maintaining NCT and its Overflow Container Yard (OCY).

Coordinator of the committee Ibrahim Khokon warned that the port would be completely shut down as soon as any agreement on NCT is signed.

"If you take steps to sign any agreement, Chattogram Port will immediately be shut down. Not only the port, but operations up to the Kutubdia outer anchorage will also be stopped," he said.

He also said the protesters did not want instability and were willing to cooperate with the democratic government, but urged the authorities to listen to public opinion and make a decision in the national interest.

Addressing the rally, joint coordinator Humayun Kabir urged the government to sit with a delegation of port workers before proceeding with the proposed arrangement.

He said port workers had expected the current government to cancel a deal that, according to him, originated under the previous government.

President of the Chattogram unit of the Trade Union Centre and a leader of the Sramik Kormochari Oikya Parishad, Comrade Tapan Dutta, said the port is an economic lifeline for the country and should not be handed over to foreign operators.

"If people's voices are not heard, they take different paths. That is part of Bangladesh's history," he said.

The committee announced a series of programmes to intensify the protests, including a torch procession on Wednesday (October 7) and further programmes on October 13.

The leaders said they wanted the government to resolve the issue through dialogue before the situation escalated.

General Secretary of the Chattogram divisional committee of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, member secretary of the Chattogram Port Protection Committee Fazlul Kabir Mintu, TUC leader Iftekhar Kamal Khan and General Secretary of Jatiyatabadi Dock Sramik Dal Taslim Hossain Selim, among others, addressed the protest.

The sit-in is part of growing opposition among port workers and other stakeholders to the proposed involvement of foreign operators in key terminals at Chattogram Port.

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