Draft on Sonadia Deep Sea Port Act pending for final approval

---

FE Report Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan Monday said a draft on 'Sonadia Deep Sea Port Authority Act 2012' has been kept pending for final approval due to lack of necessary fund. The draft law was approved in principle at a cabinet meeting on January 02, 2012, the minister said. The minister said this in reply to a question raised by Nasimul Alam Chowdhury MP at the question-answer session of the day's proceedings at Parliament. He said the project did not receive adequate response from private investors for which the government has decided to construct the deep sea port on government to government basis. The Foreign Ministry and the Economic Relations Division (ERD) are trying heart and soul to attract necessary fund from abroad. The government has already launched the primary work for construction of the deep sea port at Sonadia, Cox's Bazar, he said. A Deep Sea Port Cell was formed in November 2010. The Cell is working on recruiting a consulting firm and is communicating with development partners, the shipping minister said. Replying to another question of Shadana Halder MP, Shajahan Khan said the government has taken up a plan to establish third sea port at Rabanabad in Patuakhali under public private partnership (PPP). The PPP office is working on recruiting a consulting firm to undertake feasibility study for the project.