The New Nation - Internet Edition

Chittagong Correspondent

No sign in sight of resolving the deadlock at Chittagong maritime port created over scheduled discharge of rice came from India as aid.

The deadlock allegedly emerged over scarcity of transport like trucks. The Inter-district Truck Owners Association reportedly engaged in row with the department of food over an old contract.

The Truck Owners Association (TOA) demanded scrapping of an agreement signed in 2002 for revising truck fare. It stopped supply of trucks to the Directorate of Food since last eight days.

The stalemate screwed up as the Directorate of Food failed managing adequate storage facilities and could not manage the truckers for transporting the rice to suitable places in addition.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) sat together with the officials of regional Food Department to find a way out but it also failed make a breakthrough.

The CPA, in the meeting, proposed to look for rented warehouses for storing the huge consignment of rice. The proposal has reportedly been passed to the ministry concerned. Port sources said that five ships remained almost idle at different jetties while five others are waiting in outer anchorage. Meanwhile, a vessel sailed this afternoon after discharging rice.

Indian government earlier pledged half a million metric tons of rice for Bangladesh. First phase of the pledge 100 thousand metric tons of rice have already been reached in Chittagong port.

According to director transport of Chittagong Port Authority nearly 2,000 to 2,500 tons of rice are usually discharged from vessels a day. But this time discharging of over 650 tons of rice at a time will be difficult for want of required transport, he said. [The End]

Lead: CRHOA urges review of CMP order Chittagong Correspondent Leaders of Chittagong Residential Hotel Owners Association (CRHOA) urged Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) to withdraw its recent directives that asked them to take photograph of each boarder while check-in.

They also threatened to go for tougher action if the CMP would not withdraw the directives immediately.

The CRHOA leaders convened a press conference at the conference room of Chittagong Press Club yesterday.

Convener of the association Abu Bakar Siddiquee and its member secretary Mohammed Jashim Uddin addressed the press conference among others.

Referring to the contribution of residential hotels in the country's economy the CRHOA leaders said that their business had already affected with the directive and at least 50 small and medium types hotels in the city would close down their business.