Karnaphuli Tunnel
Feasibility study nearly complete: Quader
The feasibility study on the construction of the country's first ever tunnel under the river Karnaphuli is at its final stage, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader told parliament yesterday.
The proposed tunnel will connect the southern part of Chittagong with Chittagong city as well as facilitating communications with the tourist city of Cox's Bazar.
“The construction work will begin on getting necessary allocation of money as suggested by the feasibility study," Quader replied to lawmakers' queries. "It is hoped that the construction of the tunnel will be completed within the next five years.”
On the progress of widening of Dhaka-Mymensingh highway into four lanes, he said infrastructure works of the project had been divided into four packages. “But works of the first two packages [from Joydevpur to Mawna] have been suspended due to some problems with the contractors concerned.”
He said fresh tender had been floated and evaluation process was under way to select the bidder.
About the progress of two other bidders' works, he said 13 percent of their works had been completed and the total work was to be completed by next year.
86,000 UNFIT VEHICLES IN DHAKA
Replying to another query, the minister said as many as 86,000 different types of unfit vehicles were plying the city roads illegally.
He also said two mobile courts of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority were taking legal actions against those who were operating those unfit vehicles.
On unnecessary speed breakers on highways, Quader said all the accident maker speed breakers would be replaced by rumble strips.
Rumble strips are a series of rough strips across the road used to warn the driver that they are approaching an intersection or need to slow down.
Quader said many speed breakers were built in an unplanned way and sometimes illegally resulting in road accidents.
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