ECNEC approves Karnaphuli Tunnel’s addt’l Tk 315 crore cost

Karnaphuli Tunnel

Jehangir Hussain

CHATTOGRAM Jan 17: The construction cost of  Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram has been increased by Tk 315 crore to Tk 10,690 crore, to adjust with rising value of dollar. 

The deadline for completion of the project has also been extended till December 2023.

The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the increased cost at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson, on Tuesday. 

This was for the second time that the project had been revised.

Of the additional cost, around Tk 25 crore will be required to install toll plazas  and Tk 109 crore for the service area.

The project became  costlier due to rising value dollar, Project Director Harunur Rashid Chowdhury told the Daily Observer. 

Value of one dollar has now increased to Tk 106, from Tk 85 in 2015, when the project was taken, he said. 

“The roads are in place for traffic movement. Now, electro-mechanical work,  the most important component of the tunnel, is going on. Construction of 95 per cent of project has been completed,” he said.. 

In November 2015, the ECNEC approved construction of the multi-lane road of the tunnel project at an estimated cost of Tk 8,446.64 crore. 

The project was scheduled to  be completed in December 2021.

Later, the construction cost was enhanced to Tk 10,374.42 crore and the  deadline for completion was extended to December 2022.

Over 800 workers of China Communication Construction Company are working to construct the 3.32 km tunnel, at depths varying from 18 to 31 metres under the Karnaphuli River to link the port city on the north end with Anwara upazila on the south by road. 

Each of the two tubes, with four lanes,is 2.45km long.  

A 5.35km connecting road would be there at  each of the western and eastern end of the main tunnel and a 727metre flyover would be there at the Anwara end. 

The tunnel would provide an alternative route to Cox’s Bazar, Teknaf and Matarbari and northern Chattogram. 

To be linked with the Asian Highway, the tunnel  would provide connectivity between Bangladesh and the neighbouring countries.

The country’s first under water tunnel would cost about Tk 11 thousand crore,.

 Bangladesh and China  is constructing the tunnel under government to government (G2G) basis with Tk 5,913 crore extended as credit by  Exim Bank of China and the rest of the cost would met from domestic resources. 

The tunnel is 9.3 km long, of which the underwater part is approximately 3.4 km. 

The tunnel is expected to revolutionise road communication in Chattogram and provide direct motoring between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar and reduce the distance. 

The tunnel would make Chattogram “one city two towns”, like China’s Shanghai city. 

The economic zone already attracted several overseas firms and on the south bank of the Karnaphuli, setting up of at least 100 large industries are in progress, in many sectors including apparels, shipbuilding, cooking oil, fish processing, steel and cement.

Some of the industries are already in production. 

Construction of some hospitals, restaurants as well as hotel-motel complexes is in progress.

New business opportunities have been created not only in Anwara but also in the entire region from Chattogram to Cox’s

Bazar.

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