Ananda Group to build container port, luxury hotel with investment of Tk 18b

Ananda Group, a leading conglomerate, is going to build a container port and a luxury hotel in the country with an estimated investment worth about Tk 18 billion, its high official said.
"The group has already obtained license of the proposed container port in the name of Ananda Container Port Limited (ACPL) from the Shipping Ministry," Abdullahel Bari, Chairman of Ananda Group told the FE recently.
The ACPL will be used for handling containerised cargo to and from Chittagong, Mongla, Kolkata and other ports with Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Sylhet and Khulna.
With handling capacity of 3,00,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year at the first phase and 6,00,000 TEUs per year at the final phase with 24000 reefer, the container port is set to be built on the Meghna river bank at Ashariarchar of Newtown area under Sonargaon in Narayanganj.
Facility of the port will include four berths that will be 200 meters at the first phase and 300 meters at the final phase.
Setting the amount of investment for the container port at Tk 10 billion, the corporate body decided to build the ACPL on 50 acres of land primarily; it also planned to add 35 acres of land more in the future at the final phase of the port's construction.
An experienced British port management company will work as the port operator, the official said.
Meanwhile, construction work of the proposed luxury hotel will kick off in Tongi this year, (2014) with a goal of attaining the hotel's operational capability within the next three years, he said.
Estimated investment primarily required for the hotel is US$ 100 million (about Tk 7,772 million or 7.772 billion) excluding the land cost.
"The proposed hotel will be a five star hotel on a land area of 6.7 acre," Mr Tariqul Islam, Executive Director of the group said. "Main objective of this project is to promote and provide highest quality services to the global tourists and business travelers."
The proposed hotel area can be extended by another 13.2168 acre, if required.
There will be a business exhibition centre (trade fair centre) on the basement of hotel or at a nearby location so that occupancy of the hotel can be ensured round the year.
Demand for river view hotels in tourism world is one of the main driving forces behind choosing this location for the luxury hotel, he said.
Lively design and amenities of the proposed hotel will attract the local and foreign business travelers and tourists to explore their business and tourism in the neighborhood staying in a luxurious ambience.
This proposed site is conveniently located having well connectivity with the international airport and the main garment belt of the country. This connectivity is another matter of attraction to the hotel as majority of the business travelers in the country are somehow related with the garment industry.
The corporate body will move for listing the hotel in stock exchanges to support the promoter's vision of transparency and accountability.
The Ananda Group has versatile operations in various segment of business such as shipbuilding, textile, PVC bag mills, land development, railway engineering, information technology, marine design and consultancy.