Tk 4,189cr CEIZ begins journey tomorrow

 
CHATTOGRAM July 25: After more than a decade of delays due to administrative, financing and implementation hurdles, the proposed Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) in Chattogram’s Anwara upazila is finally moving towards implementation.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the CEIZ will be held at Anwara in Chattogram on Monday, marking the formal launch of one of the Bangladesh’s largest foreign investment projects aimed at accelerating industrialisation and strengthening economic cooperation with China.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is expected to attend the ceremony as the chief guest, while Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will be present as the special guest.

The event will feature an audio-visual presentation on the CEIZ project and speeches by the President of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the Member of Parliament for Chattogram-13 (Anwara-Karnaphuli), the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, the Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), and the two ministers.

A sub-lease agreement will also be signed during the programme. The ceremony will conclude with the unveiling of the CEIZ slogan, the launch of One-Stop Service, the official groundbreaking of the project, and a tree plantation programme.

Earlier the foundation stone of Tk4,189 cr CEIZ was laid in 2016 during the visit to Dhaka by Chinese President Xi Jinping. At that time, China pledged to provide concessional loans for the implementation of the project.

Meanwhile, the Karnaphuli River divides Chattogram into two parts. The tunnel being built �" following the “One City, Two Towns” model like Shanghai in China �" aiming to connect the port city on the north with Anwara upazila on the south.