CHATTOGRAM: Bangladesh faced protests in Dhaka and Chattogram on Thursday after the government signed an agreement handing over the operation of a major container terminal at the country’s main seaport to UAE-based DP World.
Dock workers, labour unions and left-leaning political groups have opposed the agreement, raising concerns over the possible impact on jobs, government revenue and foreign-exchange earnings. Some activists and economists have also questioned the decision to hand over a profitable facility that has so far been operated domestically.
The 15-year concession covers the operation and maintenance of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and its Overflow Container Yard (OCY) at Chattogram Port, which handles the bulk of Bangladesh’s international trade.
In Dhaka, police in riot gear were deployed as protesters gathered outside the Investment Development Authority office, where the agreement was signed. Activists alleged that police used batons to disperse them and said several people, including Bangladesh Communist Party (CPB) President Sajjad Zahir Chandan, were injured.
Police rejected the allegation, saying officers had to physically remove protesters who were lying beneath vehicles carrying ministers, lawmakers and other VIPs arriving for the signing ceremony.
In Chattogram, dock workers staged sit-ins and blocked roads near the port’s administrative building. Riot police and port security personnel were deployed around the facilities.
”The government has already signed the agreement, so there is little left to say. But we want to give the government more time,” said Humayun Kabir, coordinator of the Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad (Action Council for Port Protection).
Kabir said workers wanted the government to create an opportunity for discussions on the agreement by Sunday.
”If no such opportunity is created,” dock workers would observe a hunger strike on Monday from 11 am to 1 pm, when they would announce their next programme, he said.
Under the agreement, DP World would operate and maintain Bangladesh’s busiest New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and its Overflow Container Yard (OCY).
The government has defended the deal, saying a global operator such as DP World would bring modern technology, reduce corruption at the port, shorten ship waiting times, attract foreign investment and improve the skills of local professionals.
”Modern equipment, digital systems, international operating standards and global logistics connections will make NCT more competitive,” Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said at the signing ceremony.
State-run BSS news agency reported that DP World would make an upfront payment of about USD 49 million for operating the NCT, which handles more than 40 per cent of the port’s container traffic.
The company would also invest more than USD 81 million over the first 10 years to modernise the terminal, BSS said.
The agreement was signed despite opposition from labour unions and political groups.
During Muhammad Yunus’ interim government, Bangladesh signed a 30-year concession in November last year with Danish shipping group APM Terminals to operate another container terminal at Chattogram. The move to lease the NCT was also initiated during the interim administration, prompting dock workers to stage a hunger strike in protest.
Source: First Post
