Dhaka seeks Delhi’s explanation

Dhaka is waiting for explanation from New Delhi about the tender invitation to conduct a feasibility study for setting up an Inland Container Port on a private land at Narayanganj.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs already sent a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through the High Commission of India and Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi to let Dhaka know how it happen when the international tender notice posted on the MEA website without consultation of Dhaka.

The MEA on May 10 posted an advertisement on its website inviting bids for “Techno-Commercial Feasibility study for setting-up an Inland Container port at Narayanganj, Bangladesh”.

Foreign Ministry officials said Dhaka was not at all aware of the tender before it was appeared on the MEA website.

New Delhi must consult with Dhaka before launching any such study and it is not acceptable that MEA will invite tender without any consultation with the Bangladesh government, they said.

Talking to The Daily Star on Wednesday, a senior official of the Shipping Ministry confirmed that they did not give any approval to Indian government or any individual or organization of the country to set up inland container port in Narayanganj.

According to the sources Kumudini Welfare Trust of Bengal Ltd. (KWTB), Bangladesh, owns around 46 acres of land in Narayanganj, on the bank of SitalakhyaRiver, has shown interest to set up an Inland Container Port on this private land jointly with a suitable foreign company.

Thus they offered private companies in different parts of the world, including the Container Corporation of India Ltd. (Concor) for a detail study which entails traffic study and financial appraisal and preparation of a detailed report to set up the project.

“We offered proposal to various private companies in different European countries and also India, who have the expertise and financial ability to set up a joint venture container terminal in our privately owned land and teams from Denmark, Netherlands and India visited the site and shown their interest,” said Swapan Saha, Chief Operative Executive (COE) of KWTB.

Asked about tender invitation in Indian government website, Swapan said the Kumudini has no relation with the Indian government in this context. “We offered Indian private company Concor, not with the government. This is absolutely Concor’s affairs with MEA,” he added.

The COE said the KWTB will examine all the feasibility studies and then findout a good partner for setting up of the container terminal. “We are expecting several feasibility study report companies from different countries,” he said.

When contacted, an official of the High Commission of India told The Daily Star that the Development Partnership Administration of MEA in a bid to facilitate Concor, an Indian Public Limited Copmpany, has posted the bids invitation in its website.

Being a public limited company and as per rule, Concor cannot go for such feasibility without the support of Ministry of Commerce and MEA thus the MEA decided to conduct the feasibility, the official said.

He said the Kumudini shown interest in establishing an inland container port on their (Kumudini) land with an Indian partner having experience oin setting and operating inland ports.