Upgrading Land Transport
$23m deal today
Bangladesh and Asian Development Bank (ADB) will sign a $23 million technical assistance loan agreement today to upgrade the country's land transport infrastructure to increase sub-regional trade.
The loan signing will take place at the NEC Conference Room of Economic Relations Division (ERD).
A number of regional cooperation and integration (RCI) transport projects have been chalked out implementation of which will enhance trade among South Asian countries, specially to, from and through Bangladesh.
Under the loan deal, ADB will provide funding for feasibility studies, detailed design preparation, procurement assistance and ensure implementation of the projects.
Communications ministry officials said the focus will be on priority transport corridors identified in the Saarc Regional Multimodal Transport Study.
Transport corridors linking with Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) countries such as Asian Highway and the Trans-Asian Railway network will also be targeted, they said.
Priority road projects include Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf road, 374-kilometre Petrapole (India)-Benapole-Jessore-Magura-Daulatdia-Paturia-Dharkar-Akhaura-Agartala (India) road, 664-kilometre Phulbari (India)-Banglabandha-Hatikumrul-Mongla, 286-kilometre Dawki/Tamabil-Sylhet-Dhaka, 215-kilometre Akhaura-Dharkar-Comilla-Chittagong, 138-kilometre Burimari-Rangpur and 219-kilometre Sonamasjid-Rajshahi-Jamuna Bridge.
These roads will either be constructed or upgraded.
The priority sub-regional railway projects are construction of Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga-Jessore rail link, single line metre gauge railway track from Dohazari to Cox's Bazar via Ramu and Ramu to Gundum near Myanmar border, railway bridge with provision of dual gauge double track over Jamuna river and strengthening/re-construction of Hardinge Bridge to allow Trans Asian Traffic.
Bangladesh has the potential to become a transport and transshipment centre in the region due to its borders with India and Myanmanr as well as the geographical location with Bhutan, Nepal and Kunming the key transportation hub in southwest China.
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