China is likely to get the responsibility of implementation, operation, maintenance and management of the 'Expansion and modernisation of Mongla Port facilities' project - to be implemented with its fund.
"We have agreed in principle to give China the responsibility, as we think it will not be a bad idea to let them operate their project after implementation. By this we can assess whether there is any fault in project implementation or not," a senior official of the ministry concerned told the FE.
But he said the final decision in this regard would be taken by the high-ups of the government.
As China proposed for an 'integrated approach for implementation, operation, maintenance and management of the project', the ministry sought the opinion of the Mongla Port Authority (MPA), which gave positive response about the proposal.
Recently the MPA wrote to the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) to take steps, so that the loan approval for the project by China can be expedited. After that the MoS forwarded the letter to the ERD for taking due actions.
Following construction of many mega infrastructures, particularly in Bangladesh's southern part - especially the Padma Bridge, the Mongla Port's importance has increased manifold with vistas of opportunities in trade and connectivity opening up.
The port has now become the nearest seaport to the capital Dhaka, and recently many international shipping lines have shown interest to ply through the port.
A good number of RMG exporters have also started to ship their goods through the port, as its distance with the capital is 100 kilometres lower than those from others ports, the MPA chairman said in a letter to the MoS, urging quick approval of loan for the modernisaton project.
The crucial US$400-million project will be funded by China in line with a MoU, signed during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Dhaka in 2016. In line with the MoU, Bangladesh sent a proposal to China in April 2019 through a preliminary loan application for funding the project.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) informed the MoS about the Chinese proposal, saying China recently carried out an evaluation of the project, and the country is very much eager and positive about it. The Chinese authorities articulated interest in the integrated approach for construction, implementation, maintenance and management of the project.
This implies that they are still awaiting decision from the government of Bangladesh regarding the management, maintenance, and operation of the project, said a letter - sent to the MoFA by the Bangladesh Embassy in China.
Chinese officials said the loan application for the project is under active consideration by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), the ODA arm and soft-loan window of the Chinese government.
Bangladesh highlighted importance of the port-modernisation project in a recent meeting with the CIDCA officials, saying that it would contribute to backing up the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM) on the sub-regional plane.
The entire western part of Bangladesh and its adjoining areas are considered hinterland, having a unique opportunity to play vital role in the arena of international and regional trade and economy, Bangladeshi officials told their Chinese counterparts regarding the importance of the project.
The MPA signed a MoU with the China National Complete Engineering Corporation (CNCEC) on August 12, 2015. Later, an agreement was inked with the company on October 6, 2016. But it stopped communication with the MPA in 2019, prompting the MPA to scrap the deal.
Later, the MPA signed an agreement with another Chinese company - the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
Meanwhile, the Mongla Port recently registered a record in terms of ship arrival, cargo handling, and revenue earning.
In 2020, the port saw a turnout of 970 ships, the highest in its 70-year history. It earned a profit of Tk 1.30 billion from the limited-scale port operations.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com