Tk3,630cr infrastructure push puts CEIZ on track

CHATTOGRAM, Sep 25: A Tk3,629.96 crore infrastructure package has been approved for the Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) in Anwara, Chattogram, clearing a major hurdle for a project expected to transform the southern bank of the Karnaphuli River into a new industrial and logistics hub.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved the procurement proposal on Wednesday, with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) recommended as the successful bidder. The proposal was placed by the Prime Minister’s Office under the Supporting Infrastructure Project for Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone, implemented by Invest Bangladesh.

The development comes nearly a decade after the foundation stone of the Tk4,189 crore CEIZ was laid in 2016 during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka. China had pledged concessional financing for the project, but implementation was delayed for years.

Initially, China Harbour Engineering Company Limited was expected to develop the zone. However, failure to finalise an agreement stalled the project, and the Chinese government nominated CRBC as the new developer in 2022.

The CEIZ is being established on about 783 acres on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli under a government-to-government initiative between Bangladesh and China.

The supporting infrastructure project, scheduled for January 2027 to December 2031, will include a multipurpose jetty, access road and bridge, four-lane internal roads, water reservoirs, gas transmission facilities, power substations and transmission lines, a central effluent treatment plant (CETP), a solid waste collection station and boundary walls.

The project cost is estimated at Tk4,189 crore, with Tk2,467 crore expected from foreign financing and Tk1,722 crore from the government. The foreign financing is proposed under the Preferential Buyer’s Credit facility of the Export-Import Bank of China.

The multipurpose jetty will have a capacity of 20,000 deadweight tonnes, while the CETP will have a treatment capacity of 25 million litres.

Officials said land acquisition has already been completed and construction can begin once the developer agreement is signed. They attributed earlier delays partly to the time required to prepare and approve the Development Project Proposal and a lack of coordination between off-site and internal infrastructure development.