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Published : 18 Jul 2026, 02:13 PM
A symbolic hunger strike demanding a halt to the lease of Chittagong Port's New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) and any other port facility has sought the prime minister's intervention.
It began around 11am on Saturday at the Chattogram Press Club premises, organised by “Bandar Rokkha Committee Chattogram”, and continued until 4pm, under the banner of stopping what it called a “conspiracy” to lease NCT, CCT and other port installations to local and foreign firms.
Committee Convenor Delwar Majumder said the port belongs to the public and its ownership must remain with the people, adding that the government should stand by its citizens.
He recalled how past movements successfully exposed “fraudulent entities like SSA Port, proving their illegitimacy through court battles”.
Delwar argued that leasing the terminals would allow foreign companies to take almost all of the port's earnings, leaving only a small share for Bangladesh.
He also warned that the area houses the country's key military, civilian and energy infrastructure, making it strategically important.
According to him, people in Bangladesh have never failed when they united in protest.
He expressed confidence that the government would ultimately stand with the public, but warned that if it chose to stand against the people, the people would prevail.
Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Sramik Dal Chattogram Divisional General Secretary Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar alleged that claims by the port chairman that equipment at the terminals had become unusable were “false”.
He claimed a series of meetings were under way in Dhaka to hand the terminals to DP World, warning that transferring Bangladesh's only seaport to a foreign operator would put the country's economy and security at risk.
He urged the prime minister to intervene and reverse the decision.
Trade Union Centre (TUC) President Tapan Dutta claimed preparations to hand NCT to DP World had already been completed.
He said intellectuals, workers, students and the public across the country had united against the move, warning that anyone signing such a deal would be branded an “agent of foreign interests”.
The committee has previously held human chains, submitted memorandums to the prime minister, and organised rallies, press conferences, round-table meetings and black flag processions over the same demand.
In a Jun 4 letter, the government directed the Chittagong Port Authority to continue negotiations with Dubai-based DP World over the NCT lease.
On Jun 10, the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the Chattogram deputy commissioner, setting out six demands including a halt to the NCT lease.
Of the four operational container terminals, NCT is the largest, handling 44 percent of all containers processed at the port last year.
Since Jul 7, 2024, NCT has been run by Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL), a state-owned company under the Bangladesh Navy, with container handling rising steadily since the takeover.
Under the previous Awami League government, moves were made to hand NCT's operation to DP World under a public-private partnership (PPP) and government-to-government (G2G) arrangement.
That initiative did not go through at the time, but the process gained fresh momentum under the interim government.
Talk that a deal was close to being finalised towards the end of the interim government's term prompted port workers and employees to launch protests.
On Feb 8 this year, the then Muhammad Yunus government announced a suspension of the process to lease NCT to a foreign operator.
Following the Jun 4 directive to continue talks with DP World, the Port Authority formed a 12-member support team last week to assist with the negotiation process.
