‘Karnaphuli tunnel to change Ctg’

CHATTOGRAM: The Karnaphuli Tunnel Project — long cherished by the people of the port city — is expected to change Chattogram by linking the south and the north part of the district through the tunnel connecting both banks of the river Karnaphuli.

After completion of one of the biggest projects in Bangladesh, Chattogram city will get two towns on both banks of the river. The project will strengthen the country's economy as Chattogram port, the main port of Bangladesh, will be safe from siltation of the river.

Sources said the project is likely to be completed within 2022. The construction work of the project is going on in full swing now and around 34 per cent of the work has been completed, they said.

According to Project Director (PD) Harunur Rashid Chowdhury, installation of consultancy firm's office, power substation, site camp, construction yard, land acquisition and sand filling is fully going on.

Construction of necessary infrastructures, including residences for Chinese engineers and other employees of the project has already been completed.

Meanwhile, tunnel boring machine to be used for excavation has recently been imported from China.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Public Works Ministry Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, MP, said, "After completing the (on-going) development projects in Chattogram, including the Karnaphuli Tunnel, the picture of Chattogram will be changed."

"The north and south portion of Chattogram will be connected. The foreign investors can invest at the north and south portion of Chattogram as the connectivity and communication will be most modern through the Karnaphuli Tunnel and ring road," he added.

President of Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) Mahbubul Alam said: "Karnaphuli Tunnel is a dream project of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which will open the door of investment and trades in Chattogram."

"After completing the Karnaphuli Tunnel many industries will be built up on the other side of river Karnaphuli which may gear up the economic activities of the country," said the CCCI president.

"A new city will be developed in the southern part of Chattogram. More industries will be set up in the KEPZ and at the exclusive Chinese economic zone at Anwara upazila in Chattogram which (will) create huge employment opportunities for us," he said.

The sources said, total expenditure for the Karnaphuli Tunnel Project will be over Tk 84.46 billion (Tk 8,446.64 crore, US $1.558 billion), of which China will provide Tk 55.05 billion ($705.9 million). The rest will be provided by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB).

According to the sources, the total length of the proposed tunnel will be around 9.092 kilometres (km), including 3.40 km under Karnaphuli River. There will be a 4.89km approach road and 740 metres of bridges linking the main port city and the western side of Karnaphuli with the heavily industrialised eastern side of the river.

Once completed, the tunnel will substantially cut the road distance between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar. It will reduce the traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway at the entrance of the port city as well as that on roads connecting other parts of Chattogram division with the commercial city.

The multilane tunnel route will pass through Karnaphuli River close to Navy College on one side and Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ), and Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (Kafco) on the other.

The tunnel will connect the Chattogram port with Anwara upazila and is expected to make communication between the city and Cox's Bazar easier. It will also ease traffic jam on the two bridges built over the river.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the excavation under the Karnaphuli River on February 24 last for construction of the tunnel. Deputy Minister for Education Barrister Muhibul Hasan Chowdhury submitted a proposal at a recent cabinet meeting to name the country's first-ever tunnel being built under a river as Bangabandhu tunnel.

The meeting and Prime Minister Hasina agreed to his proposal. So, the first-ever tunnel of the country will be named as Bangabandhu Tunnel after issuing a circular.

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