Tk 3b project for port city dev

The government has approved a Tk 3 billion project to solve port city Chittagong’s intractable water-logging problem. This monsoon, the city has gone under water twice so far during heavy rain. The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at a meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, held in Dhaka on Tuesday. The meeting approved two other projects as well: one for the purchase of containers and cargo handling equipment, and the other for a bridge on the Kushiara river in Raniganj. Planning Minister AFM Mustafa Kamal said two of the projects would receive donor funds, while the other would be funded entirely by the government. Chittagong’s canals will be restored and a new one dug to end the city’s water-logging woes. A new 2.9-km long and 65-feet wide canal from Bahaddarhat to Karnaphuli is estimated to cost Tk 2.89 billion. The waterway will have 20-ft wide roads on either side that, the project proposal says, will help reduce traffic congestion. Chittagong City Corporation is expected to implement the project within 2016. CCC Mayor M Manjur Alam, a BNP leader, has welcomed the initiative. A quarter of the new project will be financed by the corporation, while the government would provide the rest of the money. Rafiqul Islam said the project work would begin within three months. The engineer said the canal would solve water-logging problems in Chittagong’s Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, Kapasgola, Chakbazar and Bakalia areas, according to bdnews24.com.