The government’s initiative to construct three land ports in the hill tracts to expand trade with India and Myanmar has stalled. Ministry of shipping says: “On Jun 30, 2013 and Nov 7, 2010, Tegamukh and Ramgarh were officially declared.”
But the Ghumdhum in Bandarban has not been officially declared as yet. The Ramgarh project has already been approved at the ECNEC.
Currently, the communication link between Ramgarh and Khagrachari and Chittagong and Dhaka is reliable though from Ramgarh to Dhaka, there are some narrow and risky bridges.
As per government plan, the land port was supposed to have started on Dec 31, 2016.
Once the three ports begin operation, cosmetics, ceramics, melamine, construction materials, bricks, sand, cement, processed food, plastic water tank, potatoes, aluminum products, eggs, old clothes can be exported to India and Myanmar.
On the other hand, though land was selected in Tegamukh and Ghumdum, it was not acquired since the area is remote and waterway is the only communication route.
Tegamukh is 100 to 150 km from Barkal upazila in Rangamati and a 126 km road has to be constructed along with a bridge.
There is a concrete road from Ghumdum to Myanmar and its being widened with the help of the Bangladesh military.
The government has allocated Tk. 120 crore for it. Bandarban district chairman, Koi Sha Marma, says: “Government high ups and former shipping minister, Shahjahan Khan, visited the land port; there’s some complication over land acquisition which will be tackled shortly.”
The custom office for this land port will be within Bandarban district as per the desire of the locals, he added.
This project is being financed by World Bank, said Tapan Kumar Chakravarty, chairman of the Bangladesh land port authority.
The World Bank has allotted Tk 1.2 billion for this purpose. Shipping minister, Abdus Samad, said: “If three land ports are constructed, the economy of the hill tracts will change and employment will be generated for the masses.”
Government revenue will also rise, he added.