The much-awaited construction of the Bay Terminal at Chittagong Seaport is expected to commence this year, according to the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), the implementing agency overseeing the project.
However, progress on the project has been hindered due to the incomplete land acquisition for the Bay Terminal, which revolves around the handover of 500 acres of Khas land by the Chittagong district administration, which is yet to be resolved.
Despite this setback, the CPA aims to complete the construction work and have the facility fully operational by 2025.
Initially, the district administration reportedly planned to hand over the land at a token price, but the disagreement persisted even if finally, the administration fixed the price of the 500 acres of Khas land at Taka 1,241 crore.
The CPA, in an effort to move the project forward, appealed to the Ministry of Land once again, requesting the land to be handed over at a token price. Notably, in January 2022, the district administration had demanded Taka 3,600 crore for the same land, causing further delays.
In December 2022, a high-level meeting chaired by the Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, Muhammad Mustafa Kamal, directed the Chittagong district administration to transfer the land to the Ministry of Land within one month at a token price.
Subsequently, in May 2023, the district administration re-evaluated the land price, settling on Taka 1,241 crore.
