PM to lay foundation stone for Tk4,068cr Mongla port expansion project
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to visit Mongla port tomorrow, marking his second visit to the country’s second largest seaport since taking office as head of the government. He previously visited the country’s southwestern region-Mongla, Dacope and the Sundarbans-on October 22. The port authorities expect the Prime Minister’s visit to usher in a new dimension in import and export trade through the port. Talking to BSS, Chairman of Mongla Port Authority (MPA) Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mostafa said the Prime Minister would arrive at the port at 10:00am on November 5. The PM is expected to lay the foundation stone for the construction of two new container jetties and associated facilities under a project aimed at expanding and modernising port infrastructure. The MPA chairman said construction work on the project would begin following the foundation stone laying ceremony. The agreement for the project was signed during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to China. Under an agreement signed between Bangladesh and China on October 10, construction of the new facilities is set to begin. The project has an estimated cost of Taka 4,068 crore, of which the Bangladesh government will provide Taka 475 crore, while China will finance Taka 3,593 crore. According to the port chairman, the proposed container terminal will have a jetty measuring 368 metres in length, along with a container yard and facilities for handling hazardous cargo. The new yard will be equipped with 49 pieces of equipment and will be capable of handling more than 30 containers per hour. The port is expected to gain an annual container handling capacity of 400,000 TEUs upon completion of the project. A MoU is also expected to be signed on the same day in the presence of the Prime Minister at Jetty No. 9 between Invest Bangladesh Authority and the Chairman of China Railway Construction Corporation, he added. State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and lawmaker of Bagerhat-3 (Rampal-Mongla) Sheikh Faridul Islam said the agreement with China would facilitate railway connectivity with the Mongla Sea Port. Through this connection, goods from ICDs (inland container depots) would be transported to the port for shipment abroad, he said. He added that railway connectivity would enable goods from across the country to be exported through Mongla Port, revitalising its import-export trade and creating extensive employment opportunities in the country’s southwestern region. The Prime Minister’s second visit to Mongla within 15 days has raised hopes among businesses in the southwestern region. Local stakeholders described the frequency of visits to a single port by a head of the government within such a short period as unprecedented. Contacted, Mongla Port Shipping Agents Association President Mosharraf Hossain said several other projects would need to be implemented in port-related areas alongside the construction of new jetties. He stressed the need to initiate construction of the proposed Foyla Airport, for which land has already been acquired and kept reserved, and upgrade the Mongla-Khulna highway to six lanes. He also identified navigability as the port’s major challenge, calling for a permanent solution to dredging the Pashur Channel. Other priorities include removing obstacles to import-export trade, developing environmentally friendly tourism centred on the Sundarbans and ensuring the security of fishermen and forest-dependent communities. Mosharraf expressed hope that the Prime Minister’s visit would provide directions for resolving these longstanding issues. After completing his scheduled activities at Mongla Port on November 5, the Prime Minister will travel by road to Bagerhat, where he will visit the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali (R) before proceeding to Khulna. He will attend the inauguration of Notun Kuri Season-2 in Khulna before returning to Dhaka.
