Photo: Messenger
Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) is facing allegations of only collecting nominal fees instead of leasing out 20 river ghats including Chattogram Karnaphuli's Saltghola-Dangarchar Ghat. This has resulted in the revenue department officials pressuring the local lessees of the old leases to pay nominal fees for the collection of special fees. Some even claim that some revenue officials are associating the mayor's name with these actions.
It's observed that these ghats bring in millions of passengers and goods daily. Due to legal proceedings pending in the High Court regarding these ghats, it has not been possible to lease them out in the Bengali month of Pahela Baishakh.
Consequently, Chattogram City Corporation's revenue department is leaning towards 'special collection'. In this opportunity, a group of corrupt officials are aiding a syndicate inclined towards leasing government funds to reduce the collection of special revenue. Several organizations claim that without this revenue shortfall tactic, these actions wouldn't be possible.
Even if these ghats are officially registered, most of the revenue will likely end up in the pockets of the syndicate. If this continues, this year, Chattogram or the government might lose billions of takas in revenue. According to sources, due to the petition in the High Court, the leasing of controlled ghats by Chattogram has been halted since the Bengali year 1431. The struggle continues, and these syndicates are finding loopholes to exploit, with the help of dishonest officials and centralized syndicates.
Notable ghats under CCC control include Patenga No. 15 Ghat, Saltgola Ghat, Banglabazar Ghat, and others. The potential lease values for some of these ghats indicate substantial revenue potential. However, with the alleged collusion of CCC officials, khas collection is occurring at significantly lower rates, potentially causing substantial revenue losses.
Efforts to obtain comments from CCC officials, including Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, were unsuccessful. The situation remains unresolved as CCC grapples with legal complexities and allegations of revenue evasion, posing significant challenges to revenue management and governance in Chattogram.
Messenger/Faria
