World Trade Centre uncertain again

All preparations were made for inauguration of the ground-breaking ceremony today (December 22) by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia as chief guest.

But the inaugural function was suddenly cancelled before the election of CCCI, the main trade body of the port city, held on December 14.

The reason for cancellation of the programme by the PM could not be known immediately.

As a result, the outgoing CCCI president Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, also younger brother of former commerce minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, was forced to postpone the programme that made uncertain the construction of long awaited twin tower like world trade centre here, sources added.

"We cancelled the programme as the PM regretted to attend the ground-breaking ceremony," said Amir Humayun.

Controversy over the tender bid for the construction of WTC might have led to the cancellation of the ground-breaking programme, sources said.

The controversy surfaced when some directors of the CCCI board had not accepted the costs offered by a construction firm selected for the project and it became an issue leading to a split among the chamber directors before the December 14 poll.

Under such a circumstance, the CCCI leadership could not sign agreement with the firm that initially offered the cost at Tk 266 crore.

The bidding firm brought it down to Tk 235 crore when some chamber directors protested the offer.

But the bidding firm after a meeting with the outgoing president Amir Humayun just one day before the chamber election agreed to reduce the costs to Tk 215 crore for doing the construction work of WTC, chamber sources said.

The outgoing senior vice-president Ershad Ullah who was all along against the offer, was re-elected a director in the new board while Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury lost to Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed in the election. Javed is son of Awami League leader Aktaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu.

Talking to The Daily Star Ershad said "We will not accept this tender bid as the offer was very high. New board of directors will float a fresh international tender for the construction of WTC."

"Earlier, the tender was floated without any feasibility study and the whole tender process was not transparent for which we stood against it," he added.

When asked, Amir Humayun said that the tender process was done properly as per decision of the tender committee of the chamber.

Amir Humayun lost the election battle this time following a split in board members over the issue of WTC, sources said.

The CCCI took a project for installation of WTC in 1995 and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia laid its foundation stone ceremonially the same year.