Chittagong Port: Four business bodies demand compensation for goods damaged by rain
A portion of Chattogram Sea Port. Collected photo.
Top four business organizations in the country have demanded compensation by determining the liability for goods damaged inside the protected area of the Chittagong Port due to heavy rain. They have also requested a waiver of various fees for goods that remained stuck for a long time due to waterlogging. At the same time, they strongly criticized the language used in the notice issued by the Chittagong Port Authority, which rejected the compensation claims under the pretext of an "Act of God."
Seeking urgent remedies on these issues, the organizations sent a letter to the Shipping Minister, Sheikh Rabiul Alam. The letter was signed by Mahmud Hasan Khan, President of the garment exporters' association BGMEA; Mohammad Hatem, President of the knitwear manufacturers' and exporters association BKMEA; Showkat Aziz Russell, President of the textile mills' association BTMA and Mohammad Amirul Huq, President of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI).
Copies of the letter were also forwarded to senior officials, including the Minister of Finance and Planning, the Minister of Commerce, the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, and the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
The business organizations issued this joint statement following reports published yesterday, Saturday, on Agamir Shomoy online and today, Sunday, in the print edition, titled "Rain Damages Import-Export Goods; Port Seeks to Evade Liability, Users Dissatisfied."
In the joint letter, the organizations asserted that if goods were damaged inside the port due to infrastructural weaknesses and defects in the drainage system, liability must be determined through a neutral investigation, and the fair rights of the affected parties must be ensured. Otherwise, users' confidence in Chittagong Port will be compromised.
To overcome the crisis, the business organizations placed a 9-point demand, which includes:
Urgently restoring Chittagong Port operations along with road and rail communication, and prioritizing the transport of import and export goods.
Forming a special assessment committee to determine the actual extent of the damages.
Providing financial compensation for the containers and goods stranded at the port, granting full or partial waivers on port rent and storage charges, and suspending any new charges.
Introducing a special "Fast Track" system for the quick clearance of emergency and perishable goods.
In addition to short-term measures, the letter proposed long-term solutions. It urged the formation of a high-level inter-ministerial task force comprising the Ministries of Commerce, Finance, and Shipping, alongside other relevant agencies. Furthermore, the organizations proposed increasing the height of the port yards, constructing a sustainable drainage system, and formulating an integrated "National Trade Continuity Framework" to keep the supply chain operational during disasters.
