Cargo handling set to start at port any time
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, Oct 12: With five days gone without any container handling in the jetties the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is all set to start work any time tonight (Tuesday) in the light of hectic lobbying by shipping minister with concerned quarters.
Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan arrived at the port city Chittagong from Dhaka this afternoon and started series of meetings with the CPA chairman and board members, dock workers' leaders, port users and berth operators at the CPA rest house.
The meetings were continuing till 8:30 pm but the CPA officials reported no outcome of the discussions.
However pressed by the media people to comment on the stalemate Shahjahan Khan has said that the outcome will be positive and the loading and unloading of containers in the GCBs will be restored tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at any cost.
Port officials said that two platoons of the CMP police and rapid action battalion (RAB-7) have already been deployed in the troubled general cargo berth area where 12 jetties for bulk and containerised cargo are located.
An army contingent has already made a roundabout in the jetty area this afternoon, an employee said indicating the possibility of army deployment if it is needed.
In the morning CPA Chairman RU Ahmed had a closed-door meeting with the berth operators. After the meeting he told the media that the berth operators will start working in their respective berths from 2.00 pm today.
Convenor of the Berth Operators Association Shahadat Hussain Selim said they are happy at the outcome of the meeting with the CPA chairman and are waiting to start working in the container berths.
As the work was about to start in the container berth 12, some dock workers and lacing unlacing workers beat up each other over a trifle matter at around 5:30 pm, leaving at least two people injured.
They were named as Abdul Ahad and Monuiruzzaman. The latter was sent to a hospital, berth operator workers said and added that the clash between the workers forced the berth operator and his men to leave the scene.
Meanwhile, the Monitoring Committee on Port, formed with the port users, initiated by apex trade body Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its urgent meeting blamed the shipping minister and the CPA chairman for five days' stalemate in the port. The business leaders demanded deployment of army in the port to restore full-swing port activities and demanded exemplary punishment to those involved in the conspiracy against the country's prime maritime port.
They have chalked out 7-point resolutions and demanded of the Prime Minister to go by hard steps identifying the culprits and conspirators behind the stalemate.
Chaired by monitoring committee chairman SM Abu Tayab the meeting was attended by members of the committee, directors of the CCCI and stakeholders of Chitttagong Port.
CHITTAGONG, Oct 12: With five days gone without any container handling in the jetties the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is all set to start work any time tonight (Tuesday) in the light of hectic lobbying by shipping minister with concerned quarters.
Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan arrived at the port city Chittagong from Dhaka this afternoon and started series of meetings with the CPA chairman and board members, dock workers' leaders, port users and berth operators at the CPA rest house.
The meetings were continuing till 8:30 pm but the CPA officials reported no outcome of the discussions.
However pressed by the media people to comment on the stalemate Shahjahan Khan has said that the outcome will be positive and the loading and unloading of containers in the GCBs will be restored tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at any cost.
Port officials said that two platoons of the CMP police and rapid action battalion (RAB-7) have already been deployed in the troubled general cargo berth area where 12 jetties for bulk and containerised cargo are located.
An army contingent has already made a roundabout in the jetty area this afternoon, an employee said indicating the possibility of army deployment if it is needed.
In the morning CPA Chairman RU Ahmed had a closed-door meeting with the berth operators. After the meeting he told the media that the berth operators will start working in their respective berths from 2.00 pm today.
Convenor of the Berth Operators Association Shahadat Hussain Selim said they are happy at the outcome of the meeting with the CPA chairman and are waiting to start working in the container berths.
As the work was about to start in the container berth 12, some dock workers and lacing unlacing workers beat up each other over a trifle matter at around 5:30 pm, leaving at least two people injured.
They were named as Abdul Ahad and Monuiruzzaman. The latter was sent to a hospital, berth operator workers said and added that the clash between the workers forced the berth operator and his men to leave the scene.
Meanwhile, the Monitoring Committee on Port, formed with the port users, initiated by apex trade body Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its urgent meeting blamed the shipping minister and the CPA chairman for five days' stalemate in the port. The business leaders demanded deployment of army in the port to restore full-swing port activities and demanded exemplary punishment to those involved in the conspiracy against the country's prime maritime port.
They have chalked out 7-point resolutions and demanded of the Prime Minister to go by hard steps identifying the culprits and conspirators behind the stalemate.
Chaired by monitoring committee chairman SM Abu Tayab the meeting was attended by members of the committee, directors of the CCCI and stakeholders of Chitttagong Port.