CHATTOGRAM, Feb 6: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) is anticipated to accept the Development of Project Proposal (DPP) for the construction of the Kalurghat Bridge, which is estimated to cost roughly Tk 12,000 crore.
This is expected to happen in March, according to Engineer Gulam Mustafa, a key project participant.
With the approval of DPP, the Bangladesh Railway will sign an accord with the Korean financer Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), he said.
Delay in ECNEC approval, the construction works of the bridge has been delaying, local development experts opined.
According to Bangladesh Railway sources, the appointed Korean Consultant Yooshin Engineering Corporation has completed the DPP. The same consultant also submitted the feasibility study report to the Bangladesh Railway earlier.
According to Bangladesh Railway sources, the Consultant of Korean Company Yooshin Engineering Corporation began the feasibility study in December in 2021.
According to the DPP, the construction of the bridge was supposed to begin from January last which will be concluded on June 2028 next, Railway sources said.
But strangely, DPP has not yet been approved. After the ECNEC approval, Bangladesh government will go to sign an agreement with the Korean financer Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) for construction of the bridge.
The EDCF will provide Tk 8,000 crore for construction of the bridge while the Bangladesh government will provide Tk 4,000 crore, said Engineer Gulam Mustafa.
Meanwhile, Railways Minister Md Zillul Hakim in Chattogram said recently that the construction of new Kalurghat Bridge will take another 4-5 years.
"A survey has been done for the bridge. Financing is being discussed with South Koreas Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). We hope that Kalurghat Bridge will be constructed in 4-5 years," he told reporters after a meeting with the senior officials of the railway in Chattogram.
The demand for the construction of Kalurghat Bridge over the Karnaphuli River has been going on for many years. People used to cross the river through a dilapidated nine-decade-old bridge. As the bridge is under renovation for the last six months, they have to cross the river by ferries.
As per fresh DPP, the Kalurghat Bridge will be constructed a four-lane one with single deck. Vehicular traffic movement will continue in two-lane road while the Railway movement in the next two-lane road of the bridge.
Railway sources said, the government has undertaken the project to construct a bridge across the river Karnaphuli at Kalurghat point in order to facilitate the communication with Myanmar through Chattogram-Ghundum Railway line.
The existing Kalurghat Railway Bridge an old bridge, once the only link between the southern region of Chattogram division on the bank of the river Karnaphuly with the rest of the country has now been dilapidated condition.
This 239m long bridge was installed as a simple rail bridge of steel structure between Janalihut and Gomdandi railway stations in 1930.
The bridge was commissioned for operation of trains in Chattogram-Dohazari section in the year 1931. Thirty-one years after its inauguration, considering the suffering of the people it was modified with decking and carpeting and turned into a rail and road-bridge in 1962.
This is now in dilapidated condition. The vehicles including the train are moving at great risk over this old bridge.
Meanwhile, new rail-plus-road bridge is going to cost almost 12 times the initial estimate because the authorities spent nine years doing multiple feasibility studies and designing and redesigning the bridge.
