A march towards Chattogram Port was held on Monday demanding cancellation of the proposed lease process for New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT).
Organisers of the event insisted that no port facility should be leased to either domestic or foreign entities.
The programme, organised by Port Protection Committee, Chattogram (Bondar Rokkha Committee), commenced at Badamtoli intersection in Agrabad. As the procession proceeded towards the port, it was stopped by police at Barik Building intersection, where the organisers concluded the event with a brief rally.
At the rally, the committee’s convener, Engineer Delwar Majumdar, announced that a “Port Protection Citizens Convention” will be held at 10am on 15 August at the July Hall of Chattogram Press Club.
He said the convention would bring together workers, business leaders, professionals, academics, journalists, and members of civil society to strengthen the movement to protect the country’s premier seaport.
The earlier rally at Badamtoli was presided over by Engineer Delwar Majumdar and conducted by the committee’s Member Secretary, Fazlul Kabir Mintu.
Speakers at the gathering included former Labour Reform Commission member Tapan Dutta, former General Secretary of Chittagong Port CBA and General Secretary of Chattogram Divisional Committee of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, Organising Secretary of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Central Committee Sh M Jamal Uddin, Communist Party of Bangladesh member Deepa Majumdar, TUC Chattogram Joint Secretary Iftekhar Kamal Khan, Nationalist Dock Workers’ Party General Secretary Taslim Hossain Selim, and leaders of various labour, political, and professional organisations.
Speakers described Chattogram Port as one of the country’s most strategic national assets and a key pillar of the economy.
They voiced strong opposition to any move to lease port facilities to domestic or foreign operators, arguing that such decisions would undermine national interests.
Moreover, they called for increased investment in port infrastructure, introduction of modern equipment, elimination of corruption and mismanagement, and recruitment of skilled manpower to enhance operational capacity.
Tapan Dutta said the movement to protect the port has been ongoing since 1997, claiming that people of Chattogram have consistently opposed handing over port operations to foreign companies.
He urged the elected government to consider public opinion and refrain from decisions that conflict with the national interest.
Dutta further warned that as the country’s principal gateway for international trade, transferring control of Chattogram Port facilities to foreign or multinational companies could pose significant risks to Bangladesh’s economic security and sovereignty.
