Govt to invite bids for metro-rail soon
The government today decided to invite bid for constructing metro-rail in the capital, Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said.
A ministerial committee took the decision and formed a seven-member body to fix the terms and conditions for the bidding and outline the process how feasibility study would be conducted.
The committee will submit its report within a week and it will then be placed before the cabinet committee on economic affairs, the minister told reporters after the meeting.
“On approval from the cabinet committee, we will fix terms and conditions for tender and feasibility study before inviting bids,” Hossain said.
“We will have to place the feasibility study along with the tender in order to save time”, the minister added.
He said the investors must carry out the feasibility study at their own expenses.
Hossain said the government would also construct elevated expressway.
Four lane Dhaka-Ctg Highway work to start Oct next
The tender for construction of the four-lane Dhaka-Chittagong Highway will be floated in this week, Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said today. The construction work of the highway is expected to start within October next, the minister said while attending a seminar in the capital’s Sarak Bhaban.
He also expressed his optimism saying that the present government will complete the construction work during its tenure. The minister said the total cost of the highway will be Tk 2,000 crore. The government has a plan to construct two more four-lane highways on Dhaka-Mymensingh and Faridpur-Barisal-Patuakhali Highways. “The government is also planning to reform Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) aiming to minimise the numbers of road accidents. All responsible organisations of traffic management department will have to work together to ease the road accidents,” communications minister said. The Motor Vehicle Act will have to modernise in this regard, he added.
Dhaka Decided to connect with Asian Highway Network
The government has decided to connect Bangladesh with the proposed Asian Highway Network (AHN), Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said today.
After a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network, Abul Hossain told reporters at his office that the decision would benefit the country.
“We will present the summary in the next cabinet meeting for the government’s approval. We would inform the government’s decision to the UN-ESCAP after approval,” the minister said.
“The agreement would be signed as per the routes proposed by the UN-ESCAP.
“If we can be connected with the Asian Highway Network, our communications and trade with Asian countries would be boosted. It would flourish our tourism industry,” Abul Hossain added.
The communications minister ruled out the possibility of having safety of Bangladesh endangered by the highway.
The proposed three routes are Benapole-Jessore-Kanchpur-Dhaka-Sylhet-Tamabil, Banglabandha-Hatikamrul-Dhaka-Kanchpur-Sylhet-Tamabil and Dhaka-Kanchpur-Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf-Myanmar border.
Bangladesh Railway to gain pace after construction of Tongi-Bhairab double line
Construction work for Tongi-Bhairab double railway line is likely to start at the beginning of next fiscal year to facilitate smooth and faster train journey for the country’s eastern-zone passengers, as this section provides the passage for a host of trains to and from the capital.
After completion of the 62-kilometre double tracks, experts said, train- running time and the unusual halts at different rail stations will decrease. The tracks would also ensure comfortable train journey, cutting travel time by half an hour which is usually wasted during halt crossings.
Replying to a question, Railway Director General (DG) Md Belayet Hossain said, “Tender for the double rail tracks has already been floated and now it only needs approval of the ministries concerned for beginning the construction.”
The DG informed that the government would take up some projects to develop the rail tracks in the eastern-zone areas, especially in Mymensingh, Netrakona and Kishoreganj districts, replacing the old sleepers and stones so that the trains in these areas could pick up more speeds.
“We’re carrying out our efforts to improve the standard of railway service,” he said, adding that the railway manpower would be gradually increased to ensure the better service.
Railway Additional DG (operation) Quazi Asadullah said the number of passengers and railway incomes in both eastern and western zones were on the up at a higher rate this year than the previous years.
“Up to March 2009, both 27 percent of railway’s income from passengers and 28 percent of passengers’ number have increased compared to last year’s,” he said.
He pointed out that equal (26 percent) of both the railway’s income and passengers’ number increased in the eastern zone, while 31 percent of income and 29 percent of passengers increased in the western zone.
Asadullah further said that the government is keen on developing the railway infrastructure by increasing the number of engines and couches considering the passengers’ interest.
He underscored the need to build additional two rail tracks from Dhaka to Tongi junction and pressing more trains into operation on these routes to facilitate train run from eastern and western zones. “The existing number of trains is very few.”
When asked, the ADG said the construction of the double lines might begin from early next fiscal as the offices at the filed level have already been set up after the launch of the tendering process.
“The construction will need two or two and a half years to complete,” he said, adding that minimum half an hour would be saved from the train-running time after completion of the works.
Asadullah said the government plans to increase the number of trains for operation on the Dhaka-Chittagong route as another Inland Container Depot (ICD) is under consideration at Dhirashram near Tongi station.
Some railway experts said when the double rails would be set up, delay at crossing and trains’ running time would decrease and passengers would get more trains for safe travel by train. “On the double rail tracks, there is a less possibility of accidents taking place,” a senior official said.
Mujibur, an expatriate from Singapore who was travelling by a Bhairab-bound train from Dhaka, said if the government could establish the double lines from Tongi to Bhairab station, much more time could be saved for the passengers.
“People of eastern zone will take the train journey as their first choice if the authorities concerned establish double lines between Bhairab and Tongi. The Dhaka-bound trains from Sylhet, Chittagong, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali, Kishoreganj and Mymensingh pass through this line,” he said.
S: The Daily Star
Tk 134cr for Padma Bridge land requisition
Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain today handed over a cheque of over Tk 134 crore required for the land acquisition in Madaripur district for the construction of Padma Multipurpose Bridge.
He handed over the cheque to Madaripur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shashi Kumar Singha at a function at the Shetu Bhaban this morning.
The money will be distributed within one month among the 2,000 people whose lands will be acquired for the construction of the bridge in the district.
S: The Daily Star
BDT 1500 Crore Projects taken to modernise railway
Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain yesterday said the government has taken up a number of programmes for modernisation and development of the railway sector.
Several procurement projects involving about Tk 1700 crore are being implemented and that the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) has already approved Tk 1500 crore development projects for the railway sector, he said.
He also said the construction of the rail line linking Chittagong with Gundum in Myanmar via Cox’s Bazar will begin soon.
The minister said this at a ceremony for signing an agreement with a Chinese company for purchasing 50 flat wagons and five brake vans at the Railway Bhaban in the city.
TA Chowdhury, additional deputy director of Bangladesh Railway, and Manager of Chinese shipbuilding company Apshara International Yu Jian signed the deal on behalf of the respective countries.
The railway authority would receive the flat wagons and brake vans worth Tk 32.72 crore within a year. The earnings of the railway will increase by 2.1 percent after the wagons are put into operation.
S: The Daily Star
