Fate of Motel Saikat hangs in the balance

The site of the proposed Motel Saikat Complex, left, and the foundation stone of the complex, right, that was laid by former prime minister Khaleda Zia on April 19 in 2004. PHOTO: STAR

The authorities concerned are now reconsidering implementation of the project that was scheduled to be completed in 2006.

BPC had taken the project of Tk 82.55 crore to provide world-class services to the tourists and promote tourism in the port city in 2004. Former prime minister Khaleda Zia also laid the foundation stone of the project on April 19 the same year.

The proposed eight-storied complex was to house a huge car parking lot, shops and departmental stores on the first three floors, bank and insurance offices on third floor, tourist information centre, a 300-seat hall room and 200-seat restaurant including a swimming pool and a bar on the fourth floor and residential hotel of three star standard for the tourists on fifth, sixth and seventh floors.

The authorities demolished the old complex in the busy Station Road area in 2004 without any fund required for the proposed eight-storey Motel Saikat Complex, a modern shopping mall-cum three star hotel.

The authorities also floated a tender to sell possessions to raise fund for the proposed complex.

Only 22 forms responded to the tender that offered 260 possessions, said the sources.

Having the effort for raising fund failed, the authorities had to refund Tk 19 lakh it got as deposit money from the bidders.

Later in July last year, the authorities decided to hand over the project to private sector for implementation on BOT (build, operate and transfer) basis and floated tender in this regard, which was published as advertisements in different newspapers.

But not a single tender was dropped, said the sources at BPC.

The BPC, the lone state owned enterprise to help flourish tourism industry in Chittagong, is now running a motel at a rented space on the Chittagong New Railway Station Building premises amid many problems, tottering to attract visitors.

Motel Saikat has now a mere sale of Tk 1.7 lakh to Tk 1.9 lakh a month whereas it had profited over Tk 3 lakh a month at its old four-storey complex before demolition.

Earlier, the government used to get handsome revenue every month as value added tax (VAT) from its income, said the sources.

BPC at its rented office now spends around Tk 1.5 lakh as rent, bills for utility services, staff salaries and other expenditures.

BPC General Manager (Works) Abul Kashem said, " We are thinking of implementing the project". He was talking to this correspondent over phone on Sunday from Dhaka.

He, however, could not say about any initiative taken by the authorities to implement the project in recent time.