Govt to buy twenty dredgers for BIWTA

The government has undertaken a project to procure 20 dredgers and necessary equipment at the cost of Tk 2,048 crore to enable Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to dredge 232.5 lakh cubic meters annually to ensure smooth waterway communication.

The procurement decision comes in response to the "Feasibility Study of Capital Dredging and Sustainable River Management in Bangladesh (FSCD & SRMB)."

The study suggested collection of some 216 cutter suction dredgers for dredging some 23 big and medium rivers.

BIWTA under the shipping ministry will implement the project by December 2019.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved the project at its 3rd meeting in the current fiscal held at NEC conference room at the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said the Ecnec cleared a total of seven development projects including the procurement of dredgers with the outlay of Tk 2,384 crore.

"Of the total project cost, the government will provide Tk 2,372.85 crore from the national exchequer while the organisation concerned will contribute the remaining Tk 12 crore from own fund," he added.

Of the projects, six are new and one  is revised.

Kamal said under the procurement project, some 10 dredgers would be collected in the first two years while the remaining 10 dredgers in the last two years of the project period.

BIWTA has 18 dredgers now and three more dredgers would be procured by this year's end increasing the number to 21 and its annual dredging capacity 110 lakh cubic meters.

However, the country requires dredging in some 882.53 lakh cubic meters every year to maintain river navigability.

The meeting also approved Sonahat Land Port Development Project with Tk 36.50 crore. Bangladesh Land Port Authority would develop the necessary infrastructure of the land port.

The Ecnec gave nod to another project on construction of two 15-storey residential buildings for JCOs and other officials at Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters with Tk 58.69 crore.

The other projects approved in the meeting are Godagari-Amnura-Nachol-Parbatipur-Adda road development (TK 62.49 crore), road development and drain and footpath construction of Rangpur City Corporation (Tk 60 crore), establishment of Sheikh Russell Aviary and eco-park at Rangunia, Chittagong (Tk 40.04 crore), and extending irrigation facility and removing waterlogging through increasing surface water availability in Naogaon (Tk 79.13 crore).