Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said that no patronage or nepotism based business will be allowed under the BNP government.
He said this while talking to the reporters after a joint exchange meeting held with officials of customs and port authorities in Chattogram on Tuesday afternoon.
The finance minister said, “It does not matter who is familiar with whom. No matter what rank he holds, no matter he is a minister or how influential a person he is, there will be no chance of getting any kind of patronage from the government.”
He said, “The present government has been working since taking office with the aim of stabilizing the fragile economy and subsequently bringing it back to high growth. Deregulation has been announced in the budget to create a business-friendly environment, create investment and employment, increase exports and ensure ease of doing business. As part of this, initiatives have been taken to reduce complications and delays in Chattogram port and customs operations.”
In this meeting organized with senior officials including chairman of NBR and Chattogram Port Authority, the problems of long regulation complications and increased cost at the port were identified.
Amir Khosru said, “The complications of customs and the additional cost of the ports have a direct impact on the common man and increase the price of goods. Decisions are recorded with time limits for speedy resolution of these issues.”
The minister expressed hope that if the decisions are implemented with courage, the time for clearing and exporting the goods will be reduced dramatically.
Apart from this, a detailed plan was also adopted in the meeting to decongest the port area through quick auction or disposal of illegal and stuck containers accumulated for a long time in the customs area.
Talking about the role of Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the same day, the minister said that the organization has a huge development plan on Chattogram. The vice president of ADB himself came to Chattogram from the Philippines and is participating in discussions with local stakeholders.
He said that ADB wants to develop Chattogram not only as a logistics hub, but also as the main driving force for the overall development of Bangladesh in the coming days.
He commented that the implementation of this regional development plan centered on the port is a great news for Chattogram.
FP/R
