Home ›› 18 Oct 2021 ›› Nation
The much-hyped Matarbari Deep-sea Port, a fast-track project inaugurated in 2020 with funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), has been facing long delay as the Cox’s Bazar district administration has not yet been able to hand over the land required by the project to its implementing agency, Chattogram Port Authority.
The port authority paid Tk75.11 crore in land acquisition cheques to the district administration in June.
“With letters and verbal requests, the port authorities repeatedly asked the district administration to hand over the acquired land,” said Mir Zahid Hasan, director of the Matarbari Port Development project.
However, the district administration neither replied to the letters from the port authority nor handed over the land in the last two and a half months.
According to Cox’s Bazar district administration, the first phase of acquisition of 283.23 acres of land for Matarbari port was finalised last May.
Of the 283.23 acres land, 278.55 acres is null land (fallow land) while the rest of the areas have houses, ponds, pond banks and roads.
“The Cox’s Bazar district administration sent a letter to the Chattogram Port Authority asked for Tk 75.11 crore for the acquisition. In reply, the port authorities have already handed over the amount to the Cox’s Bazar district administration,” said Md Amin-Al Parvez, additional deputy commissioner (revenue) of Cox’s Bazar.
“According to the rules, the land owners have to be paid the money. We will start the payment process soon, “he added.
Talking to The Business Post, Dhalghat Union Parishad chairman Kamrul Hasan said the complexities in the acquisition process was different.
“Our lands have been priced by marking them as null (fallen). The locals are suffering financially due to this. A committee has been formed from the ministry after we lodged a written protest against it,” he added.
Kamrul Hasan also said that the land acquired in Matarbari Dhalghat union was being used for shrimp and salt cultivation which was set by the government at Tk24 lakh per acre. However, the null land in Moheshkhali has been fixed Tk33 lakh per acre.
“Why are we being given less?” he questioned.
According to sources, a five-member committee was formed last month by convening the Deputy Secretary of Acquisition-2 of the Ministry of Lands over the complexity of land acquisition for Matarbari port.
The committee also includes Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) in Cox’s Bazar, Land Acquisition Officer, representatives of the concerned prospective agencies and Kanungo of the land acquisition branch.
Md Asaduzzaman, convener of the committee and deputy secretary of the land ministry, said, “The locals sent a letter to us. This committee was formed on the basis of the letter. Now we will investigate at the field level. If the land is proved to be a salt field or shrimp, then it will be considered as that class.”
Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar Md Mamunur Rashid said import-export trade is increasing day by day in the country. Around 92 per cent of the country’s goods are imported and exported through Chattogram port.
Matarbari Deep Sea Port is being constructed at Moheshkhali upazila’s Matarbari and Dhalghata area in Cox’s Bazar. The Chattogram Port Authority under the Ministry of Shipping is implementing the work.
On November 16, 2020, the Chattogram Port Authority inaugurated the project at a press briefing at its office.
