The cabinet has approved Paira Seaport Authority Act, 2013 to build the country’s third sea port at Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district.
The Act is expected to be passed in the current session of the parliament.
Official sources said the Paira seaport project will be implemented under the public-private partnership.
The approval came at a regular meeting of the cabinet yesterday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, cabinet secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the reporters after the meeting.
The project will be named as “Paira Sea Port” as it will be set up at the Paira River in the Rabnabad channel of the southern coastal belt. Feasibility study will be carried out before the construction works begin.
As per the proposed law, an executive board of six members will be formed to operate the activities of the port.
There will also be different panels of specialists and advisory councils to assist the board.
On August 5, the cabinet approved the act in principle. After the meeting, additional secretary of the cabinet division Khondakar Iftekhar Haidar told the reporters that the primary works of implementation would begin by placing pontoons at the Rabnabad channel.
Sources said the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) will begin will provide technical and financial supports to the establishment of the Paira seaport.
The distance between Ramnabad channel and entry point of the sea is 31 kilometres, said Iftekhar Haidar.
He said such distance in Chittagong port is 16km and in Mongla port is 130km.
The third seaport project is intended to improve the country’s export-import trading and infrastructures of the region where the new sea port will be built.
Earlier, the prime minister had announced at a public meeting the government’s decision to launch a third seaport.
In the proposed port area, a fish processing zone is likely to be introduced, which is expected to increase exports of fish and agro-products.
Iftekhar Haider said the PPP office will start a detailed feasibility study soon to begin the work of this port at the soonest possible time.
The total expenditure of the project will be estimated after completing the study.
The expenditure will be borne from the authority’s own fund, government’s exchequer and foreign sources. The authority will have the power to issue bonds, shares and taking loans from others.