The cabinet has approved construction of an elevated expressway proposed by the communications ministry to address traffic congestion in the capital.
The two-year project worth Tk 140 billion was approved in a weekly meeting of the policymakers headed by prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
Following the meeting, her spokesperson Abul Kalam Azad told journalists of the decision.
Azad said, “Prime minister Sheikh Hasina wants to do away with the capital’s traffic congestion. So the project was placed for approval at the meeting by the communications ministry on her order. The cabinet approved the proposed project.”
International pre-qualification tenders were invited between Nov 19 and Nov 20 last year for the elevated expressway project under Public Private Partnership. Nine organisations took part in the bidding.
The evaluation committee led by Jamilur Reza Chowdhury has found four organisations eligible and recommended their final appointment as investors in the project.
The organisations are Italian-Thai Public Development Company Ltd, Sikder Real Estate – KCC JV, Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd – Bogus Travox Public SA Consortium and China Railway International Ltd.
The spokesperson said that the four-lane elevated expressway will stretch from Shahjalal International Airport and go all the way to Kutubkhali on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
It will go over Mahakhali, Tejgaon, Maghbazar, Khilgaon, Kamlapur, Gopalbag and Sayedabad. Later the expressway will be connected with the bypass road outside Dhaka.
The expressway will have exits and entry points at Kuril, Mahakhali, Manik Mia Avenue, Palashi and Maghbazar. It will later stretch all the way to Kachpur and Narayanganj.
Azad continued, “Most of the land in this project is government owned. The lands owned by the railway will be used in the construction. As a result the project will be completed speedily.”
Other than this, the cabinet approved ratification of the SAARC trade agreement.
