The High Court on Thursday directed the government not to proceed with any further activities related to the container-handling contract for the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at Chattogram seaport until the writ petition challenging the initiative is resolved.
The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Fatema Anwar issued the verbal order during a hearing on the petition, said Advocate Ahsanul Karim, who represented the writ petitioner.
Meanwhile, Additional Attorney General Aneeq R Haque assured the court that the government will not proceed with the matter until disposal of the writ petition pending before it.
Last week, the Attorney General office made the same commitment to the High Court. However, on November 16, the government formed a committee on the matter despite that assurance.
Consequently, the HC bench on Wednesday expressed its displeasure with the government for continuing the process.
The court is continuing hearing on a rule previously issued by it following the writ petition, and on Thursday it adjourned the hearing until next Tuesday.
Following the writ petition, another High Court bench, on July 30 this year, questioned the action of the government initiating the process for awarding the container handling contract of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of the Chattogram sea port to a foreign company.
It issued a rule upon the government bodies concerned to explain as to why the action of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) to initiate the process for awarding the container handling contract of the NCT to a foreign company violating the Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership Act (PPP Act), 2015, should not be declared illegal.
In the rule it also wanted to know as to why the respondents of the government should not be directed to call and conduct fair and competitive public tender to appoint any container terminal handling operator to run and operate New Mooring Container Terminal.
"Bangladesh Jubo Arthanitibid Forum", a philanthropic organisation, filed the writ petition on March 20 this year as a public interest litigation, seeking its directive to ensure fair and competitive public bidding before appointing any container terminal handling operator.
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