The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) are investigating alleged irregularities in collecting three vessels for the Pangaon ICT (Inland Container Terminal), official sources have said.
They launched the investigation following a recent request by Finance Minister AMA Muhith as he received an allegation of corruption in the process from different quarters, they have added.
Recently, the MoS sent a letter asking Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Nizamuddin Ahmed to meet with Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan at the latter's office to discuss the alleged irregularities and providing necessary information in this connection, port sources said.
The letter stated that the MoS had no information about the allegation raised by different quarters about the purchase and the CPA chairman should meet the minister to give necessary information about it.
According to the letter forwarded by Mr Muhith to the ACC and the MoS, the conditions as set in the documents were not properly followed in tender evaluation. The supplier did not have the required experience in vessel supply as mentioned in the tender document. It was a gross violation of Public Procurement Rules (PPR), it said.
It also said the vessels had no certificates from any classification society, one of the major preconditions. Besides, the vessels could not get registration from the government department concerned in almost a year of importing.
The vessels are now being used in carrying imported goods from the Chittagong port to the Pangaon ICT without paying necessary government duties. The CPA allegedly did not take any step to pay government duties till date, Mr Muhith's letter noted.
It was also alleged that the supplier, Bengal Lloyd Ltd, had been entrusted with operating the vessels without tender or taking permission from the MoS.
Officials said due to the dearth of an adequate number of vessels, the Pangaon ICT could not be made fully operational in almost a year of its inauguration in November last year by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They said the vessels, imported by the CPA for the ICT, had no certificates from the classification society; thus neither foreigners nor Bangladeshi exporters and importers were showing interest in using those citing various shortcomings.
The officials also said the vessels were not considered fit for carrying export-import cargoes through the inland waterways.
An official at Pangaon ICT said had there been an adequate number of fit vessels, exporters and importers would have considered using the terminal.
"Only three vessels are not enough for operation of an ICT in full swing. During the last one year no exporter used this ICT to carry outbound cargo, since there is no assurance that goods will be timely transported to the feeder vessels at Chittagong port," he added.
The official also said in 2011 to licences were awarded for collecting 32 container vessels by the private sector and nine by the government sector for the inland water transport sector. Only the CPA imported the three vessels out of the 41 while none of other awardees so far could build or import the vessels.
Another official said the balance sheet of one year operation of the three vessels needed to be checked to see how much operating profit or loss they incurred. "The CPA is not found serious about the profit or loss of either the vessels or the Pangaon ICT," he said.
He said Pangaon ICT could not cash in on the 'early mover' advantage despite being the country's lone and first ICT.
"Several private sector ICTs are about to start operation and the construction of Dhaka-Chittagong highway as a four-lane one is going to be completed soon. The ICT will lose its attraction further, once the highway becomes smoother for carrying goods," he added.
The CPA chairman could not be reached for a comment on his phone despite repeated attempts made by the FE.
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