The shipping minister, Shahjahan Khan, has said another sea port will be built to the south of Chittagong port in addition to the deep sea port planned in Kutubdia belt.
He said if Chittagong port faced any crisis or heavy load, the second seaport would share those.
'Besides, if the (proposed) transit traffic to and from neighbouring countries—Nepal, Bhutan and India— causes pressure on Chittagong port, we can use the second one as an alternative port,' the minister said.
Shipping minister
said this while formally inaugurating much awaited capital dredging works of the River Karnaphuli on Sadarghat Lighterage Jetty premises Tuesday afternoon.
The capital dredging with Bank Protection, Marine Drive and Jetty facilities will be completed by Malaysian Maritime and Dredging Corporation at a cost of TK 229.54 crore.
MMDC as per the agreement would complete the dredging works within next 20 months.
Addressing the function Shahjahan said the government had taken a mega project at a cost of
TK 11,400 crore for
digging rivers, controlling river pollution and recovering river embankment from the hand of illegal encroachers.
The government has already procured seven dredgers after assuming state power in 2009 and has decided to procure another 20 dredgers to maintain navigability of the country's rivers.
He said the first dredger had been brought by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1973.
But it is a matter of regret that no other government after 1975 except Hasina government could procure a single dredger in the country, he added.
Sheikh Hasina brought two dredgers instead of the vehicles gifted to her by Kuwait government.
'The government has taken up the dredging works of the River Karnaphuli for increasing berthing and navigation facilities of the port channel and setting up marine drive roads for reducing traffic jam in the port city', the minister added.
He said the prime minister stressed the development works of Chittagong port more than any other government did in the country.
As part of her desire
a 25 storied port tower, a specialised hospital would be built in Chittagong
port area very soon, he added.
Shipping secretary Abdul Mannan Hawlader presided over the inaugural function while chairman of parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry, Whip Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury, MP, Mainuddin Khan Badal MP, Shamsul Hoq Chowdhry, MP, Malaysian high commissioner to Bangladesh Jamaluddin Sabeh, chairman of Chittagong Port Commodore Anwarul Islam and corporate director of MMDC Dato Abdur Rahman Mohammad Noor, among others, addressed the function.
Source : New Age
