SANGSAD BHABAN, June 6, 2024 (BSS) - The government has allocated Taka 11,270 crore for the Ministry of Shipping in the proposed budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2024-25.

The allocation is Taka 3426 crore higher than the revised budget of Taka 10801 crore of the previous FY 2023-24.

In his speech, Finance Minister AH Mahmood Ali said with the aim of making the waterways of riverine Bangladesh safe, passenger-friendly, modern and up-to-date and for the purpose of consolidating effective internal and international shipping system, various activities are being implemented including the modernization of seaports, preservation of waterways, installation of navigational equipment, procurement of rescue vessels.

He said about 95 percent of the country's total import and export is done through Chittagong Port and Mongla Port. As a result of timely measures taken by the government, the volume of ship arrivals and cargo handling at the ports has been on the increase since the FY 2009-10. At the same time, the infrastructure development work of the ports is also progressing, he said.

The minister said over the past fifteen years, the water boundary of Chittagong Port has been expanded sevenfold and brought under the digital tidal network. To enhance the capacity of the port, 5.80 lakh square meters of yards have been constructed in the last decade, raising its container capacity to 55 thousand TEUs. Vessel Traffic Management and Information System (VTMIS) has been introduced along with modernization of cargo handling operations of Mongla port. The country's third seaport has also begun limited operations at Payra. Currently, the port can accommodate ships with capacities of 40-50 thousand metric tons and drafts of 10.5 meters.

Meanwhile, he said, the implementation of Matarbari Deep Sea Port Development Project is progressing rapidly.

He said in the last fifteen years, twenty-six river ports have been declared in inland waterways to reduce the pressure on roads and railways and ensuresafe, smoothtransportationof passengers and goods by sea.

To address the needs of people living in riverine areas, 187 new pontoons have been installed, and after repairing medium and large docking pontoons, a total of 472 pontoons of various sizes have been set up at launch ghats and river ports, he said.

Ali said this has significantly improved the safety and made the passenger and goods movement easier. Besides, 20 km walkways with green patches, boundary pillars and 2 eco-parks have been constructed within the radius of around 220 km along the banks of 110 km circular waterways around Dhaka. Currently, another 52 km of reclaimed land along the circular waterway is under development for walkway construction.