The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) has requested the Economic Relations Division (ERD) to arrange finance for conducting a feasibility study on the proposed tunnel beneath the mighty Jamuna River.
A preliminary study has estimated the cost of the tunnel project at $ 1.27 billion.
The Jamuna multimodal tunnel project was among the five projects that were mentioned in the joint statement, signed at the end of Bangladesh Prime Minister's visit to Japan in May last year.
Sources, however, said the Japan Embassy has already expressed their reservation about the tunnel project because of the frequent morphological change of the river.
It has also raised questions about the need of the tunnel when a plan is there to construct a dedicated railway bridge over the same river.
"We have not yet decided which mode/s of transport would be included in the proposed tunnel. The initiative has been taken for a feasibility study so that we can get a clear idea about the issue," said Bridge Division Secretary Khandakar Anwarul Islam.
Sources said the ERD held an inter-ministerial meeting on December 8 last to discuss the observation made by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The ERD earlier in October sent a preliminary development project (DPP) proposal relating to the Jamuna tunnel project along with the four other projects mentioned in the joint statement to the Japanese Embassy for its consideration.
The JICA has already included the $ 1.0 billion project for a dedicated railway bridge over the Jamuna under the 37th Japanese ODA package.
The government is constructing a tunnel under the Karnaphuli River despite the river having three road bridges.
The tunnel beneath the Jamuna, if and when constructed, would be the longest one in the country.
The present Jamuna Bridge has the length of over 4.8 kilometres whereas the bridge over Karnaphuli is only 700 metre long.
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