PMO signals signing deal with UK rail co

Syful Islam | Published: November 12, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Government high-ups have given the all-clear for a deal with DP Rail of the UK for building rail link between Dhaka and Paira seaport under a multibillion-dollar project.
Officials said the Ministry of Railways (MoR) got the green signal from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for signing memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the British company.
The railway is being built basically to facilitate transportation of goods to and from the country's third seaport in greater Barisal that has yet to see any train route.
As directed by the PMO, the mega-project will be executed under public-private partnership (PPP).
The UK-based DP Rail has proposed to invest US$7.5 billion as foreign direct investment (FDI) for financing rail construction.
Sources said the railway ministry had suggested including the rail link project in the government-determined list of fast-track projects for quickening its implementation. However, the PMO did not agree, they said.
The rail ministry has found the DP Rail's proposal suitable but underscored the need for a detailed feasibility study.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith at a programme on PPP-financing partnership hailed the UK firm for coming forward with a proposal to help establish rail link between the capital, Dhaka, and Paira Port.
More than 130 years back, Britain had set up railway in this country, he recalled.
British transport minister Lord (Tariq) Ahmad in a recent letter to Bangladesh's railway minister, Mujibul Haque, requested setting a date for signing MoU on this project as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given the 'green light' in favour of DP Rail.
He mentioned that Bangladesh foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali recently informed British parliament member Alok Sharma about the green signal from top echelon of the government.
Earlier, the PMO had sought a quick and effective decision from railway ministry and shipping ministry regarding construction of the rail route.
Director of UK Trade and investment Ruzina Hasan in a recent letter to railways secretary Feroz Salah Uddin had supported the DP Rail proposal, terming it a 'best-of-British solution'.
She also wrote DP Rail is being supported by major Chinese rail companies like CCECC and indeed the parent organisation, CRCC.
A senior MoS official said Paira Port is a fast-track and political-pledge project of the government. The government is trying to construct the port as early as possible considering its importance to economic development of the country.
Recently, the Paira Port Authority (PPA) sealed a MoU for capital and maintenance dredging of main channel linking the port with Belgian company Jan De Nul.
"The government is actively looking for funds for building the country's third seaport," he said.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated Paira Port on November 19, 2013 in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district, which, at this stage, is set to start functioning as an anchorage port.
The government has set a target to operate the port by 2018 with at least one multipurpose and one bulk terminal where deep-draught vessels from the bay can berth safely. The port will go for a full-fledged operation by 2023 with all associated facilities.
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