Torch Rally in Chittagong Protesting NCT’s Foreign Lease

Worker unions and various organizations, including the Port Protection Movement Council, have staged a torch procession protesting the leasing of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) and the overflow container yard of the Chittagong Port to a foreign operator. On Wednesday evening, protesters held a brief rally in front of the port building. Leaders at the rally stated that the NCT is the heart of the Chittagong Port. They warned that leasing this vital terminal to any foreign institution would harm the port’s interests.

Speakers at the rally demanded that the NCT be operated under domestic management. They also announced that continuous agitation programs would continue if the process of appointing a foreign operator is not canceled. Worker leaders declared that handing over this critical establishment vital to the nation’s economy to foreign entities will not be accepted under any circumstances. They also issued a stern warning of enforcing even stricter programs to press home their demands.

Following the rally, workers and protesters brought out a torch procession from in front of the port building. The procession paraded through various streets of the city. During this time, a protest march program was announced for tomorrow, Thursday, at 3:00 PM.

Meanwhile, an agreement regarding the process of handing over the operation and maintenance responsibilities of the Chittagong Port’s NCT to the UAE-based firm DP World is scheduled to be signed tomorrow, Thursday, at 3:00 PM at the Invest Bangladesh Auditorium in Dhaka. Amidst days of opposition and protests among workers and various organizations centered around the initiative to hand over the NCT to a foreign operator, the preparations for signing the agreement have generated fresh tension.