China-Japan in mega project

Progress of work on Padma Bridge 69.25 per cent: Metrorail 48.10 per cent Seven mega projects in collaboration with Japan Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project-2,: Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport

Witnessing the infrastructural progress of the country, the government has given priority to eight mega projects. The most advanced of these is the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. The contractor for the Padma Bridge under construction is Chinese. As of last July, the progress of the construction of the main bridge of the project is 79.25 percent. However, 61 percent of the project has been implemented so far. The construction work of Padma bridge in Corona has slowed down but has not stopped. A team of Chinese experts has joined the work on the bridge since Wednesday.

Apart from the Padma Bridge, the Metrorail project in collaboration with Japan is ahead of the rest of the mega projects. On paper, the overall progress of Metrorail till July is 48.10 percent, but the work has already progressed a lot. An expert team is working in Japan using the latest technology.

According to sources, the government's fast track progress report till July this year has recently been sent to the Prime Minister's Office from the Economic Relations Department (ERD). According to the report, the government's priority is to gradually implement eight mega projects. The most advanced of these is the Padma Bridge project. After that the location is Metrorail. Apart from these two projects include Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Rampal Power Plant, LNG Terminal and Gas Pipeline, Rail Link to Padma Bridge, Matarbari Power Plant and Dohazari to Cox's Bazar and Ramu to Ghumdhum near the Myanmar border. However, the actual progress of any of these projects has not exceeded 50 percent.

In this context, Planning Minister MA Mannan said, special attention is being paid to mega projects. Everything is being done to speed them up. Meanwhile, foreign contractors and engineers have joined the project. There is no economic crisis in the implementation of these projects. We are providing the money as needed. When we need to take that initiative, we take it. Coronavirus has caused some stagnation in projects over the past few months, the report said. However, the projects have started gaining momentum after overcoming the effects of Corona.

Padma Bridge Project

The project is being implemented from 2009 to June 2021. The cost of its implementation is 30 thousand 193 crore rupees. The Chinese company is implementing the project with its own funding. From the beginning till last July, the cumulative expenditure has been 23 thousand 423 crore 8 lakh taka. The work of the approach road at the end of Jajira and Mawa is 100% completed. Besides, the progress of river governance work has been 74 percent. The overall progress of the project is 61 percent.

This is the biggest damage caused by erosion and floods since the start of the Padma Bridge project. The dream bridge project is turning around quickly after cutting that wound. Construction of roadway slabs lost in river erosion has resumed. Rail Strigger has been re-ordered from Luxembourg. However, project officials said it would take four months for everything to return to normal. A team of Chinese experts has already joined the project. They joined the work on Wednesday. According to project sources, the water of the Padma flowed at the highest level in the last few years. And the speed of the current was also at a critical stage. In such a situation, the span of Padma Bridge was stopped for three months. Of these, 126 roadway slabs and 192 rail staggers were lost in the river at Mawa Construction Yard. But hopefully, the construction of the road slab has started. The construction of five slabs has already been completed.

Padma Bridge Project Executive Engineer Dewan. Abdul Quader said that a team of Chinese experts has joined the work on the Padma Bridge since yesterday morning. They visited the yard on the first day. A team of Chinese engineers with special experience in installing spans went on holiday to their home country due to the floods. Now the water has started to recede, so preparations are underway to install the span. It is learned that a team of three members of the country's state insurance company has come with this team of Chinese experts. They will determine the amount of damage caused by the erosion of the Padma since July 31.

Executive Engineer Dewan. Abdul Quader said four of the remaining 10 spans of the bridge at Kumarbhog Yard are fully ready. Four more span fittings have been completed. Now in the process of painting. The other two spans are now being welded. Both the spans numbered ‘2E’ and ‘2F’ will be fitted and ready to be placed on the pier. The people involved in the project are quite satisfied as the welding of the last span ‘2F’ has started. "The start of the process of completing the span on an important part of the bridge is a breakthrough for us," he said. The 6.15 km long bridge has 31 spans of 41 spans. All spans of the bridge built in China are now in the project area and in the final stages.

Meanwhile, China has also invested in a rail link project to the Padma Bridge. The project is being implemented with funding from January 2018 to June 2024. The total expenditure has been estimated at Tk 39,247.70 crore. Till last July, the cumulative expenditure was Tk 13,021 crore. According to the Economic Relations Department (ERD) report, the financial progress of the project has been 33.17 percent and the overall physical progress has been 25.23 percent. Apart from the Padma Bridge project, the list of Chinese projects includes the ২ 1.2 billion Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway, the ১ 1 billion Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual gauge rail line, and the ৩ 1.3 billion Akhaura-Sylhet meter gauge line conversion. Besides, China is investing in Teesta water conservation and river reform projects. Besides, construction of Karnafuli Tunnel in Chittagong and construction of 1,320 MW thermal power plant near Payra Seaport in Patuakhali are in progress among the Chinese-funded projects.

Metrorail project

The Metrorail project is being implemented from 2012 to June 2024. Japan, one of the friendly countries of Bangladesh, has come forward with easy loan to expand the metro rail route in Dhaka city. The total cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 21,975 crore. According to the Economic Relations Department (ERD) report, the cumulative expenditure till last July was Tk 11,399.99 crore. The overall progress stands at 46.10 percent. Although the work was stopped for a few months due to corona, now the activities are going ahead as per the plan.

According to project sources, work on the Motijheel section from Agargaon under Metrorail Line-6, which is already on loan from Japan, is progressing at a fast pace. So far the progress of this project is 46.10 percent. However, project officials have claimed that further progress has been made in the meantime. There are plans to inaugurate this Metrorail on the Victory Day of 2021, the 50th anniversary of independence.

The length of the Metrorail project is 20.1 km from Diabari in Uttara to Motijheel. Out of the total cost of the project, Tk 21,985 crore, JICA, a development agency of the Japanese government, is providing a loan of Tk 17,594.59 crore. On the other hand, considering the importance and cost, two more Metrorail Lines 1 and 5 have been passed in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The work of these two projects will be visible in a short time. In these two new metrorails, Japan is going to lend another Tk 64,060 crore to Bangladesh. Japan's government development agency JICA is giving this loan on easy terms. Regarding this loan, the officials of the Economic Relations Department (ERD) said that this assistance given to Bangladesh under various packages will be the highest assistance given so far by the Japanese government's development agency JICA. The loan agreement will be held soon. All kinds of steps are being taken between ERD and JICA in this regard.

According to the source, another metro rail project MRT-1 route is going to be constructed for the people of Dhaka. The project has been approved at a cost of Tk 52,561 crore. Under this, a total alignment of 26.5 km from the airport to Kamalapur and from Natunbazar to Purbachal was fixed.

MRT Line-01 is 16.2 km from Airport-Khilkhet-Jamuna Future Park-Natunbazar-Baridhara-North Badda-Hatirjheel-Rampura-Mouchak to Kamalapur and the other is Natunbazar-Jamuna Future Park-Bashundhara-Police Officer-House. 11.3 km route will be constructed from Purbachal West-Purbachal Central-Purbachal Sector-6-Purbachal Depot. JICA will provide a loan of Tk 33,914.11 crore for this project. The implementation period of the project is from the current time till December 2026. Considering the cost, it has been included in the fast-track project. The total cost of the Metrorail Line-5 project is Tk 41,238 crore. The alignment of this new metro rail is-Hemayetpur-Baliarpur-Madhumati-Aminbazar-Gabtali-Darussalam-Mirpur-1-Mirpur-10-Mirpur-14-Kachukshet-Banani-Gulshan-2-Natunbazar to Bhatara. The project will be completed by December 2028. Out of the total cost of the project, JICA will provide Tk 30,858.46 crore. On the other hand, Japan will lend 840 million for Matarbari Port Development Project-1 and Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-fired Power Project-5.

According to JICA sources, Japan will provide US ৩ 3.2 billion in loan assistance to Bangladesh for seven mega projects this year. This is the largest development assistance since 1974. The seven mega projects are: Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project-2 (loan amount 69.017 billion yen), Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Extension Project-2 (loan amount 70 billion yen), Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project-4 (loan amount 62). .194 billion yen), Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 5) (loan amount 55.897 billion yen), Chittagong-Cox's Bazar Highway project (loan amount 1.908 billion yen), Food Value Chain Development Project (loan amount 11). .217 billion yen) and the Urban Development and Urban Good Governance Project (26.218 billion yen).

Besides, 21 small and big bridges will be constructed and rebuilt in the western part of the country with the help of Japanese government. It will cost about 650 crore rupees. The bridges will be constructed through the Western Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project. Initiatives have already been taken to build 61 bridges in 23 districts of the western part of the country through this project. 21 more bridges are being added to these.

On the other hand, the government has taken up a plan to build a bridge to connect the country's only island district, Bhola, to the mainland. Negotiations are underway with the Government of Japan for a project titled 'Construction of Vola Bridge on Barisal-Vola Road over the River Tentulia and Kalabadar'.

According to the initial development project proposal, the duration of the project is from July this year to December 2024. The construction of the 6.84 km long four-lane bridge has been estimated to cost Tk 12,917 crore. Of this, Tk 2,855 crore is being collected from the Bangladesh government and Tk 10,261 crore from partner development agencies. In this case, talks with Japan are ahead