The Payra Port Authority (PPA) has protested a news item published in the FE in the July 24, 2014 issue under the headline 'Payra port yet to handle goods after 8 months: lacks planning, no feasibility study so far'. It claimed that the report was written based on false and fabricated information.
In a rejoinder the PPA said considering our 97 percent sea-borne trade through two seaports, trade growth rate 9.2 per cent per ennum, anticipated trade growth in the foreseeable future, cargo-handling capacity of Chittagong Port as well as in order to increase the economic activities in the central southern part, the present government has decided to establish a 3rd seaport. As such, the Payra Seaport Act 2013 was passed in the National Parliament on 05 Nov 2013. The Prime Minister inaugurated country's 3rd seaport named Payra Seaport at Rabnabad Channel in Patuakhali district on 19 November 2013.
It said: "The report mentioned carrying out a small-scale feasibility study by IWM Bangladesh, which is not true. Actually IWM carried out detailed techno-economical feasibility study before the site selection and suggested in favour of establishing a new seaport on the west bank of Rabnabad Channel. The present infrastructure being developed on the northern bank of Andarmanik river is a terminal for loading/unloading cargo and must not be confused with actual location of planned Payra port location which will be on the west bank of Rabnabad channel at Lalua union.
"The report mentioned 3-4-metre depth of water, which is totally confusing and false. In most of the places the Rabnabad channel has above 5-metre depth except a patch of 1 km where minimum depth of water is 4.9 metres at charted datum. On the other hand, there is 14-21-metre depth of water in the planned location of port on west bank of the Rabnabad channel. This means developing minimum port facilities PPA will be able to bring merchant ship of 7.5 metres right now, like in Mongla port."
Referring to the report the rejoinder also said: "Payra's connectivity with Dhaka will be very complicated due to poor navigability of inland river route as well as absence of road and rail connection is not also correct. We have already chalked out short, medium and long-term plan for developing Payra port as a modern seaport where the connectivity with Dhaka and other districts is addressed. The plan is submitted to MoS and PPA is in search of suitable foreign investor and port-developing companies to materialise the plan."
Our reply: According to information available the IWM was appointed to carry out the small-scale study very much after the site selection and carrying out various development works, including land acquisition and setting up pontoon. So, what the rejoinder mentioned: "Actually IWM carried out detailed techno-economical feasibility study before the site selection and suggested in favour of establishing a new seaport on the west bank of Rabnabad Channel" is not true.
The fact is the PPA on July 20 published advertisement in newspapers inviting proposal for consultancy services for detailed techno-feasibility study of Rabnabad channel where the port will be built. To evaluate proposal it also formed a six-member committee headed by PPA member (Admin and Finance) Manoj Kanti Boral.
The rejoinder has created confusion as to whether the PPA is again carrying out detailed techno-feasibility study or the one carried out by IWM was a small-scale feasibility study or detailed one.
Sources confirmed that no feasibility study was done before the site selection and starting construction work. Some senior officials of the MoS and the Chittagong port visited the site and selected the Rabnabad channel for port construction without study.
Regarding connectivity with Dhaka from the port, it may be mentioned here that the depth of inland river route is not higher than 1.5 metres thus the route is categorised by the BIWTA as 'C'-category route. A committee headed by the then additional secretary of the MoS was formed which found several bridges on the river route from Patuakhali to Dhaka.
The committee suggested that the bridges with low heights should be dismantled to help the plying of vessels from Payra port to Dhaka. However, departments concerned didn't agree to dismantle the bridges and thus the issue remains pending. So, our information regarding connectivity was factual.
