Photo : Messenger
Country’s four mega projects – Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s third terminal, Padma Rail Bridge, Agargaon to Motijheel section of Metrorail and Bangabandhu Tunnel on Karnaphuli river in Chattogram – are going to see the light of the day in this month of October. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate all the four high-value projects. Experts are of the belief that if these megaprojects are opened to the public, the dynamics of the country’s economy will change. In the meantime, the government has fixed the date of the inauguration of the projects.
The ruling Awami League has also announced to hold a rallies on those days. The leaders and activists of the party will also give details on how the people will benefit from these developmental projects. Extensive preparations are being taken by the teams concerned for this.
Third terminal of the airport
The soft launching of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will commence partially on October 7. However, passengers will be able to use the terminal from the end of 2024. Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority Air Vice Marshal Mafidur Rahman said that about 89 percent of construction of the third terminal has already been completed. “We hope that our work will be completed as planned.
We are going to partially inaugurate the third terminal of the airport before the scheduled time. The vast terminal construction work has been completed.”
“Baggage scanning, boarding bridge, check in counters and some movement arrangements have been completed. 90 percent of the work will be completed before October 7. A total of 1,230 cars can be parked at a time here.”
The apron work is also nearing completion. The CAAB chairman said that aircraft parking will be completed in a couple of days, and the runway has already been completed. Along with this, the cargo terminal has been equipped with automatic robotics. Besides, multiple transport arrangements have been made to facilitate travel. Besides, the army has been given the task of constructing a tunnel directly from the Hajj camp, he added.
After the construction of this terminal, if more air traffic starts, the air fare will decrease, he said, and the image of the country’s aviation sector will be bright. Third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is a major achievement of the government.
Padma Rail Bridge
Rail traffic will officially start from Dhaka to Bhanga via Padma Bridge on October 10. The Railways is constructing a new railway line of about 172 km from Dhaka to Jashore through the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project. Among them, about 82 kilometers of railway from Dhaka to Bhanga is being opened. The government has set a target to start the railway up to Jashore in June next year.
Commercial trains will start a week after the Prime Minister’s inauguration. Initially one train will be operated. It is proposed to run trains on the Dhaka-Padma Bridge-Rajbari route from the project office. On the other hand, there is a proposal to run a train from Rajshahi to Dhaka. The Madhumati Express train will operate up to Bhanga. This train can be brought up to Dhaka. Hundred new coaches have also been purchased from China under the Padma Bridge Rail Link project. Train operation will start with new coaches.
Railway officials said that not all stations and the entire signaling system may be operational during the inauguration. Initially, the train will stop at three stations. The stations are Mawa, Padma (Jazira) and Shibchar. Nimtala station in Munshiganj will also be tried.
Metrorail (Agargaon to Motijheel)
Metrorail will run on Agargaon-Motijheel section from October 20. The Prime Minister inaugurated the country’s first Metrorail MRT Line 6 from Diabari in Uttara to Agargaon on December 28 last year. Now if it is opened from Agargaon to Motijheel, passengers will be able to travel directly from Uttara to Motijheel by metro rail.
On that day, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Metrorail Farmgate, Secretariat and Motijheel Station. Once the Agargaon-Motijheel section of the Metrorail is operational, commuters will be able to travel from Uttara to Motijheel in just 38 minutes, a miracle in the life of Dhaka citizens. Initially five trains will run from Agargaon to Motijheel in every 15 minutes and the number of trains will be increased gradually reducing the time of interval.
Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) M.A.N. Siddique said that Farmgate, Secretariat and Motijheel stations will be opened on October 20. All the works of the station have been completed. Now the work of passenger walkways is going on at the stations and it is expected to be completed by October 15.
According to Metro Rail Authority, once the entire system is operational, the service will initially be available from 7 am to 10 pm and then it will be extended to 11:30 pm.
Bangabandhu Tunnel
The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under construction under the Karnaphuli River in Chittagong will be inaugurated on October 28. Various preparations are going on centering the opening of the tunnel. The two ends of the tunnel are arranged in a unique way. The first tunnel in the country is being constructed at a cost of Tk 10,374.42 crore.
In this context, Harunur Rashid, the director of the tunnel construction project said, “The main tunnel is fully prepared for vehicle movement. Now the issue of security inside and outside the tunnel is being investigated. Construction of fire service and police outpost buildings on both sides is going on for the protection of the tunnel. The progress of the tunnel project is 99 percent. The entire work will be completed by December.”
He also said, “More than 100 CCTV cameras have been installed in the tunnel for security. The speed of vehicles traveling in the tunnel will not exceed 60 km per hour initially. The tunnel cannot be crossed on foot. Similarly, motorcycles and three-wheelers will not ply through the tunnel. Heavy vehicles exceeding the specified weight will not be allowed to pass through this tunnel.”
Officials related to the project said that if the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman tunnel is opened, the perimeter of Chittagong city will increase. Chittagong city at one end of the tunnel. On the other side is Anwara Upazila. Although it is very close to the city, this upazila has been neglected for a long time. Anwara is taking the form of another city through the construction of tunnels.
When the tunnel opens, it will take only three minutes to cross the Karnaphuli river. The economy will gain momentum during the survival period. Around the tunnel, there will be a revolutionary change in the road communication between the capital Dhaka and Chittagong city and tourist city Cox's Bazar.
Messenger/Sanjay/Disha
