Dhaka, Dec 14 (The New Age): The finance ministry plans to sanction Tk 100 crore to upgrade 12 major
land ports of the country, a lion’s share of which would be spent to
enlarge the small areas of the ports to ease the export-import
activities.
Above 170 acres of private land are to be purchased out
of the proposed fund to make the ports spacious so that goods at the
ports are stored safely and goods-laden trucks are parked comfortably,
officials said.
The prime objective of the investment is to
facilitate export-import activities worth above $2 billion that take
place through the ports concerned, mainly to and from India—the largest
trading partner of the country, a senior official in the finance
ministry said.
He said they were now examining a proposal of shipping
ministry in this regard, and exploring funding arrangement from the
revenue budget.
‘We have just started work towards providing Tk 100
crore in favour of BLPA after repeated demands made from the authority
and endorsed by the shipping ministry subsequently for immediate release
of funds to upgrade the land ports,’ a top finance official told New
Age.
He, citing previous examples, said the allocations earlier given
to BLPA on the similar head, were refunded by the authority in phases,
and the proposed fund must follow suit.
Earlier, the BLPA in a letter
promised to refund the allocation if extended to them by the finance
ministry. The letter also had named the ports to be upgraded through
enlarging their areas to erect storage facilities for goods and parking
spaces for trucks.
The ports against which funding are being
considered are—Bhomra, Hili, Banapole, Gorbakura, Bilonia, Sonahat,
Nakugaon, Ramgar, Tegamukh, Chilahati, Jibannagor and Mujibnagor. The
last four ports in the list are proposed, according to the letter of
BLPA.
Currently, the country has 18 land ports. The combined trading volume
takes place through the ports is worth about $3.5 billion, according to an estimate of National Board of Revenue.
The
finance officials said they would be able to know next week about the
exact amount to be sanctioned in favour of BLPA from the allocation of
the current budget.
‘The disbursement could be made from current and
next fiscals’ budgets,’ an official in the budget wing of the finance
division under the finance ministry told New Age.
Officials in the
BLPA said export-import activities would be largely benefitted once they
can upgrade the infrastructure of the ports through enlarging their
premises.
‘Land prices keep on soaring day by day,’ a BLPA official
said, reminding that the authority had never been defaulter in repaying
the government’s fund borrowed in 2004 and 2005 for the purpose of
developing infrastructure.
‘Once the areas of land ports become larger, income of the port authority becomes larger too.’