Scrap NCT, CCT lease to foreign operators

CHATTOGRAM, July 18: The newly formed platform under the title, “Chattogram Port Protection Committee’ on Saturday staged a token hunger strike, demanding the scrapping of the government plans to lease two Container terminals at Chattogram Port.

The two terminals are the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT).

The programme began around 11am at the Chattogram Press Club that was continued till 4pm.

The speakers in the programme said that the Chattogram port was a national asset that should remain under public ownership.

The government is the elected representative of the people and should stand with the people. The movement is aimed at ensuring that national assets are protected in the interest of the country, they said.

They alleged that the multinational companies had long sought to exploit Bangladesh's strategic assets and claimed that previous public movements had exposed attempts by what he described as "fake" foreign operators to gain control of port facilities.

The speakers in the meeting opined that if those terminals are handed over two foreign operators, most of the port's revenue will go to them while only a small portion will remain for the people of Bangladesh. The port area also contains critical military, civilian and energy infrastructure, they commented.

They further alleged that port authorities have been exaggerating concerns over equipment conditions to justify appointing a foreign operator.

Chattogram Port is Bangladesh's principal seaport. If it falls into foreign hands, the country could face economic and security risks.

The programme was addressed by the committee Convener Delwar Majumdar, Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, general secretary of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Chattogram divisional unit, Tapan Dutta, president of the Chattogram district committee of the Trade Union Centre (TUC), Port Protection Committee Member Secretary Fazlul Kabir Mintu,

Communist Party of Bangladesh Chattogram district President Ashok Saha, TUC Joint Secretary Iftekhar Kamal Khan, Dock Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal General Secretary Taslim Hossain Selim and NAP leader Mitul Dasgupta among other leaders of various labour, political and professional organisations.

Earlier the committee had organised human chains, rallies, press conferences, roundtable discussions, black-flag processions and submitted memorandums to the prime minister over the same issue.

Meanwhile, on June 10, the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the Chattogram deputy commissioner, setting out six demands including a halt to the NCT lease.

Of the four operational container terminals, NCT is the largest, handling 44 percent of all containers processed at the port last year.

Since July 7, 2024, NCT has been run by Chattogram Dry Dock Limited (CDDL), a state-owned company under the Bangladesh Navy, with container handling rising steadily since the takeover.

Under the previous Awami League government, moves were made to hand NCT's operation to DP World under a public-private partnership (PPP) and government-to-government (G2G) arrangement.

That initiative did not go through at the time, but the process gained fresh momentum under the interim government.
On February 8 this year, the then Muhammad Yunus government announced a suspension of the process to lease NCT to a foreign operator.

Following the June 4 directive to continue talks with DP World, the Port Authority formed a 12-member support team last week to assist with the negotiation process.