CHATTOGRAM, July 18: The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) has taken a step to build 'Karnaphuli Riverview Park' on the outer ring road from Chaktai to Kalurghat along the bank of the Karnaphuli River. It will be one of the city's planned new entertainment centers, modeled after Patenga Beach.
Sources said there will be facilities including walkways, cycle lanes, benches and galleries, kid zones and foot-over bridges spanning an area of about four and a half kilometres along the bank of the Karnaphuli River.
There are no adequate entertainment spots for the large population of the port city. Considering this, a new entertainment area is being built on the nearly 9-kilometre-long riverbank of Chaktai-Kalurghat on a dam-cum-four-lane road.
Currently, a sluice gate has been constructed on the river bank in the Outer Ring Road project area. Next to it, some two-storied structures will be constructed on the slope of the road. These small-sized structures will have toilet facilities below and a food zone on the upper part. As a result, visitors can sit on top and enjoy the beauty of the river. However, not much infrastructure will be built here in future.
According to the officials, CDA will arrange for seating like a gallery on the sloping part towards the river. At the same time, there will be a walkway and a cycle lane. There will be garbage bins at some distance from the gallery, so that people can throw garbage into the designated bins. There will also be parking facilities.
Talking with The Financial Express, Chairman of CDA Engineer Nurul Karim said, "We have planned to create entertainment spots along the 4.5-kilometre area of the road and dam construction project from Kalurghat Bridge to Chaktai Canal. People will be able to spend even months in this 4.5-kilometre area. We will build the 'Karnaphuli Riverview Park' there. This is a low cost project which will be environment friendly one."
He said, "it will be a place of entertainment for the city dwellers. We are going to organise something for the people maintaining the natural beauty. An open entertainment place will be built for the people of the port city Chattogram which will also attract the tourists. This will be one of the planned new entertainment centres of the city, similar to Patenga Beach."
He also mentioned that the 'Karnaphuli Riverview Park' will be a recreation and open air place for people of Chattogram.
CDA under took the 'Kalurghat-Chaktai Road and Dam Construction Project'. It was approved by ECNEC on April 25, 2017. The CDA started construction work on the project in January 2019. The cost was estimated at Tk 23.10 billion (2,310 crore) at that time. Later, the project cost increased to Tk 27.79 billion (2,779 crore). The contractor company Spectra Engineers Limited is working on the project.
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