Bangladesh
Bangabandhu Tunnel PM inaugurates much awaited Bangabandhu Tunnel
Dhaka, Oct 28: Finally the wait is over! Another door has been opened by tunneling in South East Bengal. Its name is Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the tunnel around 11:40 am on Saturday.
Awami League's Chittagong Division Central Organizing Secretary and Jatiya Sangsad Whip Abu Saeed Al Mahmud Swapan said that the Prime Minister opened another golden door in the economic circle. The Prime Minister is building an economic ring from Feni to Chittagong to Maheshkhali and Teknaf with the aim of building a prosperous Bangladesh in the future.
It is known that the construction of the tunnel was undertaken with the aim of connecting the two banks of the Karnaphuli River to build a 'One City Two Town' modeled on the Chinese city of Shanghai. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping laid the foundation stone of the tunnel project on October 14, 2016. On February 24, 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the boring work of the first tunnel tube.
Photo: PID
According to the pre-construction survey report, after the tunnel is opened, 63 lakh vehicles will be able to move through it annually. According to that, 17,260 cars can run in a day. By 2025, an average of 28,305 vehicles will travel through the tunnel every day. Half of which will be freight transport. By 2030, an average of 37,946 vehicles per day and by 2067, 1,62,000 vehicles have been targeted.
The total cost of tunnel construction is estimated at Tk 10,374 crore. Out of this, Bangladesh government is giving Tk 4,461 crore. The remaining Tk 5,913 crore have been funded by the Chinese government. Exim Bank of China has given this loan for a period of 20 years at a rate of 2 percent. China Communication and Construction Company Limited (CCCC) has implemented the project as the contractor for the construction of the tunnel.
