The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Shipping Ministry on Sunday directed the government for immediately implementing the recommendations of appointing surveyors required for properly operating ship transportation as per the international standards.

The Committee also suggested the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation for filling up four posts of surveyors by appointing them within one month and post them at separate ports.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee at the Sangsad Bhaban here on Sunday with Chairman of the committee Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury in the chair, an official handout said.

The participants at the meeting decided to recommend the Ministry for submitting a report with opinion on handing over the Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Kamlapur to land port authority and shifting it to Dhirasram at Gazipur.

Members of the Committee Shipping Minister M Shajahan Khan, M Mazharul Huq Pradhan, Samsul Haque Chowdhury, Nazrul Islam Babu, Golam Kibria Tipu, Mostafa Kamal Pasha and M Abu Zahir were present at the meeting.

Acting secretary of the Shipping Ministry Abdul Mannan Hawlader and concerned officials of the ministry were present.

The meeting was told that the government has undertaken initiative for maintaining the navigability of Chittagong port channel as well strengthen security measures with the help of the coast guard and Bangladesh Navy.

Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury said Chittagong port of Bangladesh ranks 58th among over 100 qualified and developed ports in the globe and the committee would visit the ports at the neighbouring countries to see how those are functioning. Specially, the Committee would examine how the security measures of those ports be implemented at the port in Chittagong.

The meeting discussed in details on inviting tenders under BIWTA during this fiscal year on dredging rivers and also reviewed progress of the dredging activities. It suggested the ministry for developing a system to accelerate dredging activities and inviting fresh tenders for appointing new firms by canceling contracts of those firms who failed to start dredging activities.

It decided that a delegation of parliamentary standing committee would visit regional and other countries in mid of January next year to see operations of international standard ports for fixing work plans on modernising Chittagong port and bringing dynamism in its operations.

It recommended BIWTA for purchasing oil through inviting tenders from next month and give the work order to those companies who will be able to deliver oil on time.