Bangladesh’s Payra Port, once envisioned as the nation’s third major seaport to boost southern regional growth, has become mired in political interference, questionable contracts, and escalating costs. The project’s dredging expenses have reached 500 million dollars, financed not through regular taxation but by drawing from the country’s foreign currency reserves. Experts warn that this approach undermines economic stability and transparency, as the port continues to struggle with heavy sedimentation and limited operational progress.

The article highlights that successive governments have promoted Payra as a symbol of progress and climate resilience, despite repeated scientific warnings about the site’s unsuitability due to high silt levels. German geologist Dr. Hermann Kudrass and Bangladeshi economist Wahiduddin Mahmud both criticized the project’s economic and environmental logic, calling it a drain on public funds. Officials privately acknowledge that continuous dredging has become a permanent financial burden.

The report concludes that Payra Port now represents a broader pattern of politically driven megaprojects in Bangladesh—visibly grand but economically unsustainable, with taxpayers bearing the long-term cost while accountability remains elusive.