CHITTAGONG, Aug 27: Despite approval of the government the Bay Terminal project of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) faces dilemma as the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) is planning to build a modern city on the project site.
The CDA is planning to develop a Bay View Smart City with housing and other facilities in the site of Bay Terminal on the Patenga seacoast line.
Businesses and trade body leaders have emphasised the necessity of constructing a container terminal for the port on a priority basis.
They said that Chittagong seaport's export-import is rapidly growing at 14-15 per cent annually while the existing equipment and infrastructure facilities of the port will fall short of handling the enhanced volume of containerised cargoes by the end of 2018.
The port officials said they had applied for "no objection certificate" (NOC) from the CDA to construct Bay Terminal as the NOC of CDA is required for its construction as per law of the CDA.
The CPA, with a view to enhancing its cargo handling capabilities, has undertaken the project to raise container terminal on 1,000 acres of land on the north of Patenga coast.
The CDA officials said they are planning to build its Bay View Smart City with all residential facilities including flats, recreation, tourism, school, college, hospital and playground on around 3,000 acres of land on the Patenga coastline including the project site of the Bay Terminal.
CDA town planner Md Isa Ansari said the Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain has recently announced planning of the Bay View Smart City along the Patenga seacoast and asked the CDA chairman Abdus Salam to take up the project of the smart city.
He said the chairman of the CDA has recently given details of the Bay View Smart City project through power presentation to the Housing and Public Works minister. It will be constructed on about 3,000 acres of land in the seacoast area.
The Port and Shipping sub-committee of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry has emphasised early construction of the Bay Terminal for berthing vessels carrying 5,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers.
They made the call from an urgent meeting of the port users and stakeholders. Representatives of shipping agents, main line operators, freight forwarders, marine contractors and the trade bodies were present in the meeting.
The port users said due to different limitations the Chittagong Port's turn around time is much higher than any other ports, resulting in higher import cost which is ultimately borne by consumers of the country.
Member (Admin and Planning) of the CPA Zafar Alam is, however, optimistic about the Bay Terminal project. He said that it is premature to comment on the issue at this moment but the CPA is hopeful about construction of the terminal which is necessary for greater interest of the country.
pankajdastider@gmail.com
Bay Terminal in jeopardy as smart city planned
Pankaj Dastider | Published: August 28, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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