Dhaka, Feb. 7 -- Matarbari deep-sea port construction seems to be put on the backburner through surrender of 74 per cent of allocated funds, mainly from a Japanese loan, for trailing project deadlines, officials said.

Such delay in the deep-sea port development -- a key "fast-track" project financed and supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) -- could prove to be a disservice to Bangladesh's trade and business, insiders think.

Several officials point to a curious move by the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA)--the executing agency--in seeking a reduction in its funding request by Tk 21.12 billion to Tk 7.47 billion in the current fiscal year's (FY2023-24) revised development budget. The ADP is due for revision soon....