Ctg port to emerge with int'l standard facilities : Chief Adviser

Chattogram : Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on May 14 said the interim government had taken initiatives to turn Chittagong Port into world class by inviting top global port management companies.

He revealed the plan while speaking at the New Mooring Container Terminal of the port in the first event of his daylong tour in Chattogram, when he was briefed about the port capacity.

"It will be a big opportunity for us," said the Chief Adviser, adding that once the government plans are materialized, it will improve the economy of the country and create jobs for thousands of people.

"If we have to change the economy of Bangladesh, Chittagong Port is the hope. Without it, there is no alternative," he said.

Calling the port the heart of Bangladesh's economy, Yunus said, "If the heart is weak, no physician could make it function better. This is why we have to make it world-class."

"They (top global port management firms) were called earlier, but there was no meaningful progress," he said.

"This heart has to be connected with neighbors, that is why I said about Nepal, Seven Sisters (seven northeastern stares of India). If they are connected to it, they will be benefited and so will be us," he said.

Shipping Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain lauded chief adviser's eagerness to improve the port facilities in Chattogram.

He added that the construction of several terminals surrounding the port would ease container congestion. "I hope within six months you will notice the change," he said.

Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman laid the emphasis on modernization of the port, saying that it handles 92 percent of Bangladesh's foreign trade and 98 percent of this trade is handled by New Mooring Container Terminal.