The jetty that incurred around Tk 90 lakh loss a year is now earning an annual revenue of Tk 1.10 crore for Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) after it went under a private management since 2003.

CPA started construction of the jetty on over two acres of land along the river Karnaphuli at Sadarghat point in 1980 to ease pressure on Chittagong port through handling imported bulk cargoes from lighter vessels at a different place.

The lighter jetty was inaugurated on June 28 next year to handle bulk cargoes from small lash barges with carrying capacity of 750 matric tons.

But, a very little handling activities took place, reportedly as the barges were reluctant to go there, while authorities spend Tk 7.50 lakh a month as maintenance and other cost of the jetty manned by 82 traffic, security and other staffs.

The situation worsened when a vessel detained with stolen sugar was kept anchored there for long time to decrease the navigability of the river at the jetty point in 1987.

The faltering activities at the jetty came to a halt after the 1991 cyclone that damaged it severely, sources said.

The authorities took an initiative to lease out the jetty without much success in 1992 and the effort was revived once again in 2001.

One KYM Warehousing took the lease of the jetty at Tk 1.56 crore per year only to wind up stealthily after operating eight months. Tk 60 lakh, excluding the security deposit of Tk 30 lakh, the firm owed to CPA remained unpaid.

The jetty remained abandoned for some 12 years (since 1991) until its management was handed over to Great Bengal Enterprise, a private company, on May 1 in 2003, sources said.

CPA leased it out to the firm for 20 years for an annual revenue of Tk 1.10 crore. The lease agreement is to be renewed after every five years with a 5 per cent rise in annual rent, sources added.

Under the management of Great Bengal, the jetty handles around two lakh metric tons of bulk cargoes annually, said MA Mannan, Manager (operations) of the firm.

"We developed a 400-ft jetty and improved the shed on 45,000 sq-ft of land initially," he said, adding "Besides, we are carrying out dredging of the river in front of the jetty at our own cost to facilitate movement of the lighter vessels turning up here."

Many, however, feared that the jetty under the private management might create scope for importing contrabands or evading taxes.

Mannan said there is no scope of exercising such a practice as the lighter vessels are allowed to off load cargoes at the lighter jetty only after they get clearance from the authorities concerned of customs and port after payment of duties and revenue.

"Moreover, contrabands can hardly be carried with the bulk cargoes like cement clinkers, iron billets, gypsum and slag handled at the Jetty," Mannan told the correspondent.

Ahsanul Kabir, CPA director (Traffic), said the lighter vessels report at the Sadarghat Lighter Jetty after obtaining required clearance from them.

He said after handing over to a private management the lighter jetty, which remained almost abandoned for over a decade, is now fetching some revenue for CPA.

"It also reduces pressure on Chittagong port, at least to some extent, through handling of bulk cargoes there", Kabir said this while he was talking to The Daily Star on Thursday.