Ashuganj-Akhaura road uplift work gets ECNEC nod
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
FE Report
The Bangladesh government has endorsed the Ashuganj to Akhaura land port highway renovation work with the Indian US$ 33.8 million credit to facilitate the neighbouring country's goods transportation to its seven remote northeastern (NE) states, planning ministry said Tuesday.
The government's highest project approval body ECNEC approved the much-talked-about road upgrading scheme to support the Indian government in transporting its goods.
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the executive committee of the national economic council (ECNEC) has also endorsed eight other projects involving total Tk 18.08 billion at its meeting in Dhaka.
The state-owned Roads and Highways Department (RHD) will rebuild the existing 35.21-kilometre Sarail-Brahmanbaria-Sultanpur-Chinyar-Akhaura-Senarbadi land-port road by 2013 to upgrade it to a national highway, to be utilised to transfer Indian goods to the impoverished seven NE Indian states.
Following bilateral talks between premiers of Bangladesh and India in January this year, Delhi agreed to lend one billion US dollars in loan to Dhaka, most of which would be utilised to facilitate transit and transshipment to India, officials said.
The government has already earmarked 14 projects, to be implemented by more than US$ 600 million of the one billion loan of the Indian government.
The proposed Sarail (close to Ashuganj river port)-Akhaura highway will be utilised to carry ODCs (over dimensional cargoes) of power generation equipment for the Indian government's upcoming 740-megawatt power project in Tripura.
Bangladesh has agreed in principle to allow India to use its designated waterway and road to transport heavy machines for the Palatana power project in Tripura, about 60 kilometres from Agartala, the Tripura state capital.
The shipping ministry of Bangladesh has also started to develop the navigability of the Ashuganj river port, located on the Meghna river opposite Bhairab Bazar, which ultimately will become the main hub of transporting Indian goods.
According to the plan, Indian products will be transported through the new route covering Kolkata's Haldia port-Raimongal-Mongla-Kaukhali-Barisal-Hizla-Chandpur-Narayangang-Bhairab Bazar-Ashuganj, the ministry officials said.
From Ashuganj, the goods would be carried by Bangladesh trucks and tractor-trailers to the Akhaura-Agartala border, they said.
The Bangladesh government has endorsed the Ashuganj to Akhaura land port highway renovation work with the Indian US$ 33.8 million credit to facilitate the neighbouring country's goods transportation to its seven remote northeastern (NE) states, planning ministry said Tuesday.
The government's highest project approval body ECNEC approved the much-talked-about road upgrading scheme to support the Indian government in transporting its goods.
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the executive committee of the national economic council (ECNEC) has also endorsed eight other projects involving total Tk 18.08 billion at its meeting in Dhaka.
The state-owned Roads and Highways Department (RHD) will rebuild the existing 35.21-kilometre Sarail-Brahmanbaria-Sultanpur-Chinyar-Akhaura-Senarbadi land-port road by 2013 to upgrade it to a national highway, to be utilised to transfer Indian goods to the impoverished seven NE Indian states.
Following bilateral talks between premiers of Bangladesh and India in January this year, Delhi agreed to lend one billion US dollars in loan to Dhaka, most of which would be utilised to facilitate transit and transshipment to India, officials said.
The government has already earmarked 14 projects, to be implemented by more than US$ 600 million of the one billion loan of the Indian government.
The proposed Sarail (close to Ashuganj river port)-Akhaura highway will be utilised to carry ODCs (over dimensional cargoes) of power generation equipment for the Indian government's upcoming 740-megawatt power project in Tripura.
Bangladesh has agreed in principle to allow India to use its designated waterway and road to transport heavy machines for the Palatana power project in Tripura, about 60 kilometres from Agartala, the Tripura state capital.
The shipping ministry of Bangladesh has also started to develop the navigability of the Ashuganj river port, located on the Meghna river opposite Bhairab Bazar, which ultimately will become the main hub of transporting Indian goods.
According to the plan, Indian products will be transported through the new route covering Kolkata's Haldia port-Raimongal-Mongla-Kaukhali-Barisal-Hizla-Chandpur-Narayangang-Bhairab Bazar-Ashuganj, the ministry officials said.
From Ashuganj, the goods would be carried by Bangladesh trucks and tractor-trailers to the Akhaura-Agartala border, they said.