HC suspends Ctg Port's service fee hike for a month

The High Court has suspended the recently increased service fees at Chittagong Port for one month, following a long-standing dispute over the hike. On Sunday, a bench comprising Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua issued the order and a rule during a preliminary hearing of a writ petition.

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) had published a gazette on Sept 14 raising different service fees by up to 41 percent, effective from the following day. A related notice was subsequently issued on Sept 30. On Oct 20, the Bangladesh Maritime Law Society filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the validity of both the Sept 14 gazette and the Sept 30 notice. Mohiuddin Abdul Kadir, lawyer for the petitioner, said the High Court suspended the CPA's circular implementing the fee increase for a month.

He said the court also issued a rule asking why the fee hike should not be deemed "beyond legal authority".

Port users had opposed the increase from the outset, arguing that the proposed rates would put pressure on consumers and businesses. They had requested a more moderate increase of 10 to 15 percent.

Earlier, under pressure from protests, the CPA had temporarily suspended the higher charges for trucks, car-vans, and prime movers at the port from Oct 19, pending a final decision. Other port user groups had also threatened to launch protests over the issue.