Six big projects are in wait for opening on completion before the crucial next polls to crown the long-running Awami League regime's successes, official sources said.
On the list are Karnaphuli River tunnel, Dohazari-Cox's Bazar rail route, Padma Bridge rail link, the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and the second phase of the MRT-6 line of Dhaka metro rail.
Though expected to have been opened in December last year, the much-hyped tunnel under the Karnafuli river waters will be inaugurated by October, officials told the FE Friday.
Over 96 per cent of works under the project, being implemented with Chinese funds at a cost of Tk 106.89 billion, have been completed.
Construction work on the tunnel, with two tubes, started on February 24, 2019. Of the two tubes of the tunnel, work on one in the south has been completed. This tube runs from Chattogram's Anwara end to Patenga end in the port city.
The Tk 18-billion Dohajari-Cox'sBazar rail project may be inaugurated in the first week of October, Bangladesh Railway officials said, adding that 90 per cent of the Chokoria-Cox'sBazar portion of the project is completed.
The Dohazari -Chokoria portion will also be completed by September, officials said, pointing out that works for this part started four months behind the schedule due to delay in land acquisition.
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) in alliance with Max International is implementing the project
The CCECC project manager said they are ahead of schedule as they "put in extra efforts to complete the works".
The fast-track project includes the rolling out of 102km line and construction of nine stations.
Part of the Tk 39.2-billion Padma rail-link project is scheduled to be inaugurated "anytime after September", officials said, adding that initially train will travel from Dhaka to Bhanga.
Works for the rest of the project to connect Jessore through rail will be completed by June next year, railway officials said.
The Dhaka -Jessore railway will have a length of 169 kilometres and the length of Dhaka-Bhanga section is about 82km, which will be dotted by three rail-stations at Mawa, Padma (Janjira), and Shibchar.
The Tk4.6-billion Khulna-Mongla rail line will also be completed by September. The crucial 63.5km broad-gauge-rail project having seven stations is being implemented with funds drawn from the Indian Line of Credit or LoC.
Authorities hope the rail connectivity will boost the importance of the Mongla Seaport and promote regional connectivity as Nepal and Bhutan can carry out trade through this seaport by using this section of railway.
Another key project-the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport- will be partially inaugurated in October. According to civil aviation officials 77.5 per cent of the project is complete.
Samsung Construction and Trading (C&T) Corporation, a construction unit of the Samsung Group, is overseeing the third terminal's construction.
The Dhaka airport-expansion project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on October 24, 2017, with financing from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Initially estimated to cost Tk 13.61 billion, the budget for the large-scale terminal project was later increased by an additional Tk 7.79 billion.
Once completed, the new terminal, spanning an area of 542,000 square metres, will feature a parking apron capable of accommodating 37 aircraft. However, the main highlight will be the modern terminal building, integrating state-of-the-art technologies within its 230,000-square-metre interior space.
The Agargaon-Motijheel portion of the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 will be opened by the yearend, officials said. Part of this line, the first MRT system, was inaugurated on 28 December 2022. This section is 11.73-km long.
Construction of phase two of the Dhaka MRT Line-6 is progressing with Japan ODA Loan funded by JICA.
"It is expected that MRT Line-6 will contribute to promoting the converting of major transportation mode from road to rail and will eventually improve urban convenience, root out economic loss and alleviate greenhouse-gas emissions," says one official about merits of the metro.
Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL) is implementing the MRT Line-6 at a cost of Tk 334.72 billion.
On completion of construction of the Phase-2 section, the entire route of the first MRT system in Bangladesh will reach 20km length comprising 16 stations.
Meanwhile, the next general election in the country-which has stoked flurries of discourses between the ruling and opposition camps-is envisaged to be held in December.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
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