Leasing suspension on Karnaphuli ghats leads to revenue loss for Ctg city

The Chattogram City Corporation is expected to lose substantial revenue from 19 ghats along the Karnaphuli River due to a High Court order suspending their leasing activities.

Stakeholders say around two lakh people cross the river every day through the 19 ghats located on the riverbank in Chattogram city. The city corporation earns more than Tk6.5 crore annually by leasing these ghats.

However, the High Court recently ordered the leasing process to halt indefinitely starting from the Bengali year 1431, which began in mid-April 2024, in response to a writ petition filed by the Karnaphuli Sampan Majhi Samiti.

Currently, the city corporation is collecting tolls daily through an oral agreement with previous lessees of the ghats, resulting in a certain amount of revenue loss, they said.

According to the estate branch of the Chattogram City Corporation, the ghats under the High Court order include Patenga-15 ghat, Saltgolaghat, Banglabazar ghat, Nayarasta Paka Pool ghat, Sadarghat, Fisherighat, Naunghat, Ayakub Nagar Laitya ghat, Patenga-14, Guchchgram, Matabbar-11, Trithongga-12, Ruby Cement Factory-7, BOC Ghat-9, Abhaymitra Ghat, Pan Ghat, Patenga Chinese Ghat, Baklia Kshetchar Ghat, and Chaktai Salt Ghat.

The city corporation earned a revenue of over Tk6.57 crore last year by leasing out the ghats.

The city corporation leased Patenga-15 ghat, which has the highest daily crossing of about 60,000 passengers, for around Tk2.7 crore last year. Following that, Matbar-11 ghat held the next position with Tk87.32 lakh, followed by Saltgola ghat with Tk57.32 lakh.

However, since the ghats have been leased out under verbal agreements due to the High Court's stay on the formal leasing process, the revenue is expected to decline.

Abul Hossain, the toll collector of Abhaymitra Ghat, said he has a verbal agreement with the city corporation to collect tolls and pay Tk2,000 per day to the city corporation.

Lokman Dayal of Banglabazar Ghat said he is managing the ghat under a contract where he pays Tk5,500 per day.

Rezaul Karim, head of the estate wing of the Chattogram City Corporation, told TBS that the responsibility for toll collection at the ghats has been temporarily entrusted to previous lessees through verbal agreements at reduced rates.

He said, "There is typically competition among lessees during the tender process for control of the ghats, leading to an increase in lease prices each year. However, due to the High Court's order and the lack of available manpower this year, the previous lessees were assigned toll collection responsibilities at rates lower than before, as there was no competitive bidding process."

Meanwhile, Karnaphuli Sampan Majhi Federation said that according to the ghat leasing policy, there is a provision to entrust the responsibility of managing the ghat to the local boatmen's association registered under the Directorate of Cooperatives. However, the leaders of the association complained about the neglect of local boatmen in toll collection at the ghats.

Peyar Ali, president of the Karnaphuli Sampan Majhi Federation, said, "About 1,500 sampan boatmen make a living by ferrying passengers on the Karnaphuli River. According to the official policy, there is no opportunity for anyone else to participate in the leasing of the ghats except the boatmen. However, influential businessmen have been occupying the ghats for a long time using various tactics."

"We approached the High Court because we did not regain our rights. We demanded that the three ghats of Bangla Bazar, Sadarghat, and Abhay Mitra should be leased to boatmen. The High Court ordered a stay of the entire lease proceedings," he said.

Legal officer of the Chattogram City Corporation, Jasim Uddin, said, "We are preparing to appeal against the High Court's order. The issue will be resolved soon, and the leasing process will resume."