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Published : 10 Dec 2025, 08:06 PM
Chattogram City Mayor Shahadat Hossain has asked the shipping advisor to clarify who is behind the reported extortion of Tk 20–25 million at Chattogram Port daily.
In a video message shared on Wednesday evening through the Chattogram City Corporation’s (CCC) Public Relations WhatsApp group, the mayor addressed the issue.
Officials responsible for the press wing confirmed the video was released with the mayor’s consent.
“Recently, the shipping advisor made a statement,” Shahadat said in the video.
“In that context, I want to clarify that while the media reported it as a comment about mayors keeping their eyes on the port, the advisor was referring to former mayors, not me.”
The mayor added, “However, there is another statement he made that concerns the people of Chattogram. As mayor, it is my duty to ask. He mentioned that daily extortion at the port amounts to Tk 20-25 million. We want to know clearly -- who is extorting this money?”
The mayor emphasised the scale of the issue: “If Tk 20 million is extorted every day, that totals Tk 600 a month and Tk 7.2 million a year. The advisor should name who is responsible for this.
“I declare, as mayor, that we will stand with the people of Chattogram to stop these extortionists.”
Earlier, at a press conference at the Secretariat in Dhaka, Shipping Advisor M Sakhawat Hossain said he was surprised that newspapers had reported such figures without asking directly about illegal collections at Chattogram Port.
“A rough estimate is Tk 20-25 million per day,” he said, noting the figure could even be higher if verified on-site.
The advisor described widespread extortion at vehicle stands and within the Port itself, where fees were being collected from trucks waiting day after day.
