The year 2023 was a groundbreaking year for the development of communication infrastructure in the country. The inauguration of mega projects, one after another, has opened up the door of infinite opportunities. This year will also see the inauguration of six mega projects. They are: Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Matarbari Power Plant, Jamuna Bangabandhu Railway Bridge, Dependable Runway, Rapid Transit Project in Gazipur and rest of Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant: With the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Bangladesh has joined the elite club of utilizing nuclear power peacefully as the 33th country in the world. The first unit of this power plant will go for test as well as commercial production within September 2024. The electricity power will be supplied through a transmission line of 230 KV in Gopalganj and 400 KV in Bogura.
Matarbari Power Plant: A 1200 MW capacity coal-based thermal power plant has been constructed on an abandoned salt field of 1,600 acres, in Matarbari of Maheshkhali Island in Cox's Baza. The construction cost of this mega project is about Tk 51, 984 crores. Japan's development agency JICA has given about Tk 43, 921 crores. The remaining Tk 7, 933 crore has been provided from the own funds of Bangladesh Government and Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL). Already in November 2023, the power supply of the first unit has started. The second unit will be able to supply electricity in April 2024.
Jamuna Bangabandhu Railway Bridge: Jamuna Bangabandhu Railway Bridge is going to be connected to the railway this year. It is going to be the longest dual gauge double track railway bridge in Bangladesh. For the first time in the country, the Japanese railway technology directly installed on the span is being developed. Trains can travel at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour on the Japanese railway line constructed with the latest technology. According to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge Project Office, the progress of the project is about 80 percent. The project implementation period is till August 2024. However, the contract period will be extended by 3-4 months and the project will be inaugurated in December this year.
Dependable Runway: A third terminal has been constructed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to handle the increasing number of flights and passengers traffic. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina partially inaugurated the project on October 7 last year as 90 percent of the work was completed. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is moving ahead with plans to fully operationalize the third terminal in October this year.
The addition of a third terminal at the airport will ease the terminal crisis but will increase the pressure on the runway. Since the aircraft have to wait during the flight, if the number of flights increases on top of that, this congestion will increase. Even if it is necessary, it will not be possible to make a new full runway due to space shortage, said the concerned people. Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority says that 'dependable runway' will be constructed to handle the pressure of flights. The construction of the dependent runway will be completed this year on priority basis to keep the third terminal operational.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project: Finally, the Dhaka-Gazipur route Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is going to be completed. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has expressed hope that the project will be completed by June this year. The Bridges minister gave this information in a press conference at Setu Bhaban on January 16. If the project is launched, it will be possible to travel from Gazipur to the airport in just 40 minutes. Traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway will be greatly reduced. With the aim of reducing traffic congestion, the Ecnec-BRT project was approved on December 1, 2012 under the 'Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport' project (BRT, Gazipur-Airport project). The work was supposed to be completed in December 2016. It was then extended several times to December 2023. That means it took 12 years to complete the four year project.
Dhaka Elevated Expressway: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Airport to Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway on September 23 last year. It takes only 10 minutes to travel from the airport to Farmgate area via expressway. The remaining part of Chattogram highway up to Kutubkhali is expected to be completed by 2024.
(The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on January 26 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque Khan)
