Shortage of lighter vessels is seriously hampering the unloading of goods from mother vessels at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port. However, a section of shipping sources has dubbed the crisis as ‘artificial’. Importers are daily demanding 40–55 lighter vessels to unload goods from mother vessels, but the Water Transport Cell (WTC) is unable to give, on average, more than 14 vessels a day. The dearth of lighter ships to unload goods from mother vessels waiting at the outer anchorage of the country’s premier port has now become acute. Earlier, the number of big ships waiting at the anchorage used to be 50–60, but now their number has risen to 80, which went up to 130 last month. Importers have to count…

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday reiterated that there would be no election under the Hasina government.…