After Chittagong and Pangaon ports, the Yunus government now wants to hand over New Mooring to foreigners!

Staff Correspondent

Amidst much criticism, the Yunus government secretly signed agreements with foreign companies on November 17 regarding two important terminals at the Chittagong Port. The agreement was signed to hand over the responsibility of constructing and operating the Laldia Terminal on the banks of the Karnaphuli River in Patenga, Chittagong, and the responsibility of operating the Pangaon Naval Terminal in Keraniganj, Dhaka, to foreign companies, thereby sacrificing Bangladesh’s interests.

Various political and labor organizations, including those related to the port, have expressed serious concerns. Protests have erupted across the country over this. But the Yunus government is not taking any action on this.

Sudheejan commented that Dr. Yunus is working with the mission of establishing the interests of foreigners in Bangladesh.

Although the terms and conditions were publicly displayed at the agreement signing ceremony, the full details of the agreement, which information will remain confidential, and the actual profit and loss calculation were not officially disclosed. This is raising allegations of lack of transparency. Various political parties have expressed anger over this.

After handing over the two ports to foreigners, the Yunus government is now preparing to hand over another important facility of the Chittagong Port, the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), to a foreign operator. The port authority has sent a proposal to form a 7-member tender evaluation committee for a contract with the United Arab Emirates-based DP World in December.

This makes it clear that after handing over the two ports to foreigners, the Yunus government is now moving towards appointing foreign operators in the NCT as well, which raises big questions about the country’s strategic interests.

In this situation, various organizations, including the Port Protection Council, have been holding torchlight processions, road blockades, and protests for the past few weeks. They allege that handing over strategically important port facilities to foreign companies will harm employment, security, and sovereignty.

According to the agreement, Denmark-based APM Terminals has taken over the responsibility of constructing the Laldia Terminal and operating it for 30 years. Against an investment of around Tk 6,700 crore, Bangladesh received only Tk 2.5 billion in ‘signing money’.

On the other hand, Switzerland-based Medlog SA has been given the responsibility of operating the Pangaon Terminal for 22 years, having paid a signing money of Tk 18 crore. This was done on the advice of Dr. Yunus, according to special sources.

Various political and labor organizations say that handing over strategic assets to foreigners is harmful to the state. It risks creating a future job crisis for workers and weakening state control.

However, critics question why there is a rush to hand over one terminal after another to foreigners when it is possible to build domestic capacity and a world-class workforce. And why is the entire agreement not yet being made public?

The increasing presence of foreign operators in control of the country’s most important ports has sparked new debates over sovereignty, economic security, and labor interests, sparking outrage and condemnation across the country.