The year 2023 is going to be ‘year of inaugurating mega projects’ in the country. Tunnel under the Karnaphully River will be opened which going to be first under-river tunnel in Bangladesh. Train will be run on Padma Bridge. Besides, inauguration will take place to some mega projects like third terminal of HSIA, Dhaka Elevated Expressway and BRT.
In addition, the construction work of Khulna-Mongla rail project, Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar rail project is about to be finished and set to be inaugurated in 2023. Dhaka-Rangpur four lane highways will be open in June 2023. The metro rail route to Matihjeel will be completed within December this year, as well as some projects will about to be completed. Among these, advancements in construction works of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Payra Deep Sea Port will surely catch everyone’s attention.
In the same way, construction works of Dhaka-Sylhet four lane project, Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Rail Bridge project are also going on. According to the authorities concerned, the effort given in the last year will bring in some good result this year. Last year, Prime Minister inaugurated the Padma Bridge which opened a new door of communication to the inhabitants of 21 districts of northern part of the country and also the Uttara to Agargaon part of metro rail was inaugurated.
Karnaphullay Tunnel to be opened in April: Road Transport and Bridge Minister Obaidul Quader said the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel will be opened in April 2023. He said this to the journalists on December 28 last year.
He said, “We’ve opened the south tube of the tunnel and the rest of the works of the tunnel will be completed within April-May 2023. Then, PM will inaugurate it.”
The tunnel is expanded from Anwara End of the city to Patenga End.
Train to run on Padma Bridge in June: Train will run on Padma Bridge in the aforementioned time with the inauguration of “Padma Bridge Link Project.’ According to the railway authority, the 172 km long railroad will start from Dhaka and will be extended to Jashore via Padma Bridge.
Third terminal of HSIA to start in October: The construction work of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is almost complete and it will be hopefully inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in October. According to Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority, the capacity of HSIA will be increased to 2.5 times if its construction work is completed.
The launching of Bangabandhu Sattelite2: The launching of Bangabandhu Sattellite 2 can be accomplished this year. The progression of its implementation is going on quickly. Earlier, the government launched successfully the Bangabandhu Sattelite 1 in 2018.
Inauguration of Dhaka Elevated Expressway in June: This of 46.73 kilometers long highway, one of the mega projects of government, will be very effective to minimize traffic jam of Dhaka. The HSIA to Tajgaon part of it might be opened in June 2023. On the other hand, the construction work of Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway was started, which might be completed in 2026.
BRT project to be completed in June: One part of the Uttara to Tongi route of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project was opened for transportation on November 7 last year. Besides, the 20 kilometers long BRT project from Gazipur to HSIA will be inaugurated in June 2023.
Khulna-Mongla Railway to open within 2023: The construction work of Khulna to Mongla Rail project is about to be finished. The 5.13 km long railroad over the Rupsha River is already visible. The authorities expect it will be completed within 2023 and will usher a new era in the communication of Sothern part in Bangladesh.
Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Railroad to be completed in June: The much expected Chattogram to Cox’s Bazar Single Line Duel Gauge Rail Line will be completed in June 2023. The tourists-city Cox’s Bazar will be under the rail network this year. An oyster-like rail station will be constructed 3 km away from the sea-beach so that it reflects the image of tourists-city.
Dohajari-Cox’s Bazar rail line to start within June: The rail line from Dohajari to Cox’s Bazar will start within June 2023 by which the train-communication of the city to the whole country will be possible. A new project is also taken to operate the train service by adding high-quality tourist coaches with wide windows. Connection with Trans-Asian Railway will be established upon the completion of Dohajari-Cox’s Bazar Rail Line.
Rangpur-Dhaka Four Lane Highway to open in June: Overcoming all the odds, the works of this project has got momentum at present and will be completed hopefully in June 2023. It will change the fate of the people of 16 districts in northern part of the country, the authority expects.
@The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on January 1, 2023 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque
