Protesters threaten to shut down Ctg Port over terminal leasing

Labour leaders on Monday threatened to shut down operations at Chattogram Port if the government signs any agreement to hand over the operation of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to a foreign entity.

They issued the warning from a sit-in programme organised by the Port Protection Committee in front of the port's administrative building, protesting the government's move to hand over the operations of NCT and Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) to an international operator.

Several hundred activists joined the protest that began around 11:30am.

The protesters blocked the road leading to the port's administrative building, disrupting movement of traffic, hospital-bound patients and port users during the demonstration.

Addressing the programme, Chattogram Port CBA former general secretary and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Chattogram divisional General Secretary Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar said workers would immediately stop port operations if the government signs the deal on 8 October as planned.

“From the moment the agreement is signed, the workers will shut down the port,” he said.

“We will block the road from Barik Building to Saltgola. No vehicle will be allowed to move, and no port worker will perform their duties,” he added.

“If the government does not step back from the decisions, it will have to bear full responsibility for the consequences,” he further said.

Chattogram Port Protection Movement Council Co-coordinator Mohammad Ibrahim Khokon also warned of a complete shutdown.

“If the agreement is signed on 8 October, Chattogram Port will be shut down immediately. Operations will remain suspended up to Kutubdia,” he said.

“If anyone tries to obstruct our programme, we will resist it through a mass movement across Bangladesh,” he added.

Khokon urged the government to protect national interests and listen to public opinion, saying the workers did not want the situation to turn violent.

Another Co-coordinator, Humayun Kabir, urged the prime minister to hold talks with the protesters.

“We want dialogue. Call us and we will discuss the matter. If you do not call us, we will have no alternative but to continue our movement,” he stated.

“We are ready to sacrifice our lives, but we will not allow any part of Chattogram Port to be handed over to foreigners,” he added.

Presiding over the programme, Trade Union Centre Chattogram district unit President Tapan Dutta said the NCT's earnings were crucial for developing other port and related infrastructure projects.

“The money earned from NCT can help build Payra, Bay Terminal, Matarbari and Pangaon. It is a cash-generating asset. Why should we cut it up and hand it over?” he questioned.

Bangladesh Sramik Federation President SK Khoda Toton, Communist Party of Bangladesh Chattogram district unit President Ashok Saha, Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Port unit General Secretary Taslim Hossain Selim, Port Protection Committee Member Secretary Fazlul Kabir Mintu, and SKOP leader Iftekhar Kamal Khan also addressed the rally among others.

A large number of police and port security personnel were deployed at the programme venue to avert any untoward incident.

The government gave in-principle approval to a draft concession agreement for handing over the operation and maintenance of the NCT and Overflow Container Yard (OCY) to an international terminal operator for 15 years.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recommended the approval at a meeting at the Secretariat on 1 October.

The project, titled “Operation and Maintenance of CPA’s New-mooring Container Terminal (NCT) including Overflow Yard (OCY),” is being implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework.

It was initially approved in principle by the cabinet committee on 23 March 2023, during the tenure of the previous Awami League government.

In 2023, Saudi Arabian firm RSGT was given responsibility for operating the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT), while the process of bringing DP World in as operator of the NCT also moved forward.

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Container delivery halted at Ctg port after worker assaulted

The interim government stepped back from the NCT leasing plan on 8 February, three days before this year’s national election, following a nine-day strike that disrupted the country’s international trade.

After the new government took office, the issue returned to the agenda at the fourth meeting of the Bangladesh-Dubai Joint Public-Private Partnership Platform on 8 April.

According to the PPP Authority’s project profile, the Chattogram Port Authority plans to award the government-to-government concession to Dubai-based DP World, nominated by the Government of Dubai, to upgrade, operate and maintain the NCT.