Fresh initiative to dredge Karnaphuli
An initiative is underway to dredge the river Karnaphuli to free the lifeline of the port city from siltation and construct a 2.5km marine driveway along the river.
A Development Project Proforma (DPP) has been prepared in this regard to implement a project at an estimated cost of Tk 411.72 crore to be funded by Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).
A project proposal is likely to be finalised immediately after recasting the DPP to reduce the project cost substantially, said the sources concerned.
The project aims at removing the silt deposited in the river Karnaphuli due to construction of two bridges over the river, Shah Amanat Bridge and the Third Karnaphuli Bridge, sources said.
Under the project some 2.9 million cubic metre of dredging work would be done over a three-kilometre stretch from the Shah Amanat Bridge in the upstream to Sadarghat in the downstream. At the same time, a 2.5km marine driveway with bank protection wall would also be constructed along right bank of the river stretching from Sadarghat to upstream.
As per an estimation made by Bureau of Research and Testing Authority (BRTA), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), the dredging work would cost Tk 92.92 crore, construction of the bank protection wall and driveway Tk 282.03 crore while Fender and Bollard Works would cost Tk 1.62 crore.
Besides, Tk 7.70 crore was kept for physical contingency and Tk 19.00 crore for price contingency, informed BRTA and Buet through a letter on July 1, 2008.
The project was scheduled to start on January 1, 2009 to be completed on December 31, 2011, said the sources.
CPA took a Tk 74 crore capital dredging project under a Japanese Debt Cancellation Programme for the same dredging and bank protection work in 2005.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project concept paper (PCP) for capital dredging on February 27, 2005 while the Department for Project Evaluation Committee (DPEC) approved the PP on May 11 the same year.
But, a Revised Development Project Proforma (RDPP) prepared in June in 2006 inflated the project cost by a staggering 345 percent to Tk 255.30 crore.
The inflated cost prompted the ministry for shipping to cancel the previous project and preparing a DPP afresh for the dredging and marine driveway last year.
Fresh initiative has been taken for implementation of the capital dredging and the marine driveway at the directive of Shipping Minister Afsarul Amin, who during a visit in May witnessed the serious silting up and emerging shoals reducing navigability of the river.
However, with the DPP showing an estimated cost of Tk 411.72 crore for the project, the shipping ministry is now recasting the DPP.
In response to a query from Shipping Secretary Md Manjoor Elahi, the BRTA, Buet through a letter last week informed that RCC pillars can be used for construction of the bank protection wall of the marine driveway.
The BRTA, Buet in its letter said compared to sheet-piling, which it suggested earlier for the bank protection wall, RCC is less costly, user-friendly and can be made locally.
BRTA also mentioned in the letter that it earlier suggested for sheet-piling under pressure from the then project director of the project, said the sources at CPA.
Manjoor directed the CPA for making query about the dredging cost which has been estimated at Tk 360 per cubic metre in the DPP.
Besides, CPA would revise estimated cost and several other aspects of the project while recasting the DPP that would bring down the project cost significantly, said the sources.
The project is likely to be finalised within a very short time and its implementation would also help CPA reclaim huge land through landfill along the bank,” said CPA Member (Engineering) Captain Zobaer Ahmed.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments