Cabinet body approves work to facilitate river transit to India

Cabinet body Wednesday approved a proposal to award a contract for development of fairway from Sirajganj to Daikhowa river route, reports UNB

It will facilitate the river transit offered to India.

Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday also approved many more of procurement proposals.

As per a tender proposal placed by the Ministry of Shipping, Dharitri Banga Limited, a contractor which won the contract, will carry out dredging works and other relevant works at the river route from Sirajganj to Daiakhowa at a cost of Tk 2.27 billion(227.46 crore).

The works will be implemented under Bangladesh-India inland water transit and trade protocol route for 7 years project.

In absence of the Finance Minister, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu presided over the cabinet body committee meeting which was attended by the ministers who are the member of the committee.

Bangladesh will bear 20 per cent of the cost of the works while India will bear the 80 per cent.

The contractor will dredge the river route to 2-meter depth and 30-meter width in next two years and maintain the route for next five years after completion of the dredging.

The committee also approved a proposal of the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry to improve the runway and taxiway of Sylhet Osmani International Airport at a cost of Tk 387.40 crore.