CHITTAGONG, Jan 10: Construction work of Bangladesh-India Friendship Bridge over Feni River is all set to start in February aiming to set up the Ramgarh land port in Khagrachhari district sharing border with India.
The land port, expected to be commissioned within two years, has huge potential for trade and business expansion, export and import, infrastructure development, efficient handling of cargo, storage facilities and fostering public-private partnership, and finally transport of cargo from Chittagong Port to north-eastern seven states of India, sources concerned said.
The 412-metre long (main bridge is 150 metres in length) and 14.50-metre wide bridge over the Feni River is being constructed by the government of India at a cost of Rs 1.2869 billion and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
The Indian Road Division authority started land acquisition for the construction of the Bangladesh-India Friendship Bridge-1 on November 10 last.
The land acquisition for the bridge will be completed in January, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla said after inspecting the bridge site last week.
He along with Bangladesh Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader visited the Ramgarh land port and Feni Bridge sites on January 3, local administration officials said.
Businesses on both the sides of the Ramgarh border were happy after getting information about the start of the construction work on the land port and expressed the hope that it will boost trade and business, export and import and the marginal people will benefit from the Ramgarh-Sabrum land port, sources said.
A large number of marginal people, who are facing hardship, will get benefits through employment and engagement in allied works as there is no employment generating opportunity or any industry in the remote hilly area.
Sudarshan Datta, a businessman from Khagrachhari hill district, said they finally see light at the end of the tunnel as the government has started work on setting up of the Ramgarh land port.
"Once we thought that the land port project has been dropped. Now both the governments have come forward with utmost sincerity to set up the land port. We have seen that the Indian government has almost completed acquisition of land for the very important bridge over the Feni River which will pave the way for launching the land port," he said.
To facilitate export and import and transport of cargo to the northeastern states of India through Chittagong port, the Bangladesh and Indian governments took up the land port project long before but it could not proceed further for multiple problems.
Ramgarh Road Division Engineer Biman Chakma informed that the Feni Bridge will be a four-lane one and will have direct communication with the Chittagong Port.
With that aim the Bangladesh government is developing the Ramgarh-Baroiyarhat Road with financial support of the World Bank. It will be a four-lane road as well, he said, adding that over 10 acres of land have been acquired for the Ramgarh land port in Mohamuni area. The area will be extended as required, he said.
Besides, the government has planned to construct a railway line up to Ramgarh land port from the Chittagong-Nazirhat railway branch line, he said referring to a railway ministry's master plan.
Railway Minister Mujibul Haque made the announcement at a meeting with officials at Hathazari of Chittagong district in January 2017.
Sources said construction of the railway track from Agartala of Tripura to Sabrum is also progressing fast and the Sabrum-Udaypur-Agartala Road will be linked with the road in Ramgarh.
The distance between Chittagong Port and Ramgarh is 72 kilometres (km) by road while the distance between Sabrum and Agartala is 133 km.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina jointly laid the foundation of the Bangladesh-India Friendship Bridge-1 over the Feni River during Modi's visit to Dhaka on June 6, 2015.
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