BIWTA locks horns with shipbreakers over clearance to use foreshore

Despite repeated notices from Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), shipbreakers of the Chattogram are reportedly dismantling scrap ships and dredging sand without obtaining clearance, BIWTA authorities said.

Due to the violation, the government agency is not only deprived of a lot of revenue every year, but also the biodiversity along the seashore is ruined.

Currently, Chattogram has 248 shipbreaking yards, as per the data of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, although only 30 to 40 of these shipbreaking yards are only operative.

The government declared an area, from Feni Muhuri project to Rasmoni Ghat areas in Chattogram where all of these yards are located, as a river port in 2020.

The dispute between began between shipbreakers and the BIWTA since then.

Earlier, shipbreakers used to conduct business after obtaining permission from the Ministry of Industries.

However, no one can use an area along the foreshore belonging to a river port without paying revenue to the government, as per Port Rules, 1966.

Following the rules, BIWTA has been repeatedly sending letters to shipbreaking yard owners to get licences.

However, the shipbreakers are still using the foreshore and dredging sand without paying any revenues.

Only a single shipbreaking yard authority took permission from BIWTA for dredging sand and breaking ships last December.

Currently, BIWTA collects Tk 144 for use per Shotangsho/Shotok (decimel) of river port in Chattogram, while collecting Tk 0.46 for per cubic-feet of sand as revenue.

Basically, shipbreakers lift sand from in front of their yards to facilitate the anchoring and navigability of ships.

Md Kamruzzaman, deputy director of the BIWTA Chattogram, told The Daily Star, "Despite repeated requests, shipbreakers are not taking permission. For this, the government is being deprived of a huge amount of revenue. We have verbally informed the matter to higher authorities for further action."

Contacted, Nazmul Hasan, secretary of the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recycling Association (BSBRA), told The Daily Star, "We are presently running business after getting permission from 17 to 18 government agencies."

"We normally pay revenue to the Deputy Commissioner's Office to use land on the seashore. But if the government now tells us to take permission from the BIWTA, we are ready to take it. But it will happen after getting a complete guideline."

He further mentioned that shipbreakers dredge sand from beaching zones with self-cost for operating business smoothly.

"If the BIWTA takes over the responsibility of sand extraction, we fear that they will work slowly. In this case, we want a provision to arrange for sand extraction ourselves to operate business," he added.

Asked about the allegations that a group of shipbreakers are doing sand business in the guise of dredging, Nazmul said, "Our business is only ship dismantling, not sand trading. The allegations are fake."

The Sitakunda upazila administration fined the authorities of three shipbreaking yards -- OWW Shipbreaking Yard, SL Steel Shipbreaking Yard and Mother Steel Limited -- for lifting sand from the channel illegally till now.