Building of Tk 60,000 cr deep sea port begins next year

UNB, Dhaka

An inter-ministerial meeting of the government on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to a massive deep-sea port project to be implemented in three phases at a total cost of Tk 60,000 crore.
Implementation of the first phase of the mega-infrastructure scheme begins next year and will complete by 2017. The cost of the first-phase works is estimated at Tk 13,000 crore.
The much-debated deep-sea port project is going to be placed before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs soon as today's (Wednesday) inter-ministerial meeting accepted two reports clearing the way for implementing the scheme.
"We've approved the reports on the deep-sea port and decided to move those forward to the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee as the next step," Shipping Minister Afsarul Amin told reporters after presiding over the meeting.
Japan-based Pacific Consultant International prepared a techno-economic feasibility study report and a technical evaluation committee of the Shipping Ministry examined the consultant's report.
Both the reports-consultant's report and its evaluation report-were placed before the Shipping Ministry-convened inter-ministerial meeting.
According to the minister, the gigantic project will be implemented on over 220 hectares of land at Sonadia point near Maheshkhali Island of the Bay of Bengal in three phases from 2010 to 2055 at a total cost of Tk 60,000 crore. Sonadia is 80 kilometres away from Chittagong seaport.
The first phase of construction works will be completed by 2017 creating facilities of 4 cargo jetties and 5 container terminals.
It will cost Tk 13,000 crore and 30 percent of it will be invested by the Chittagong Port Authority and the remaining 70 percent will be arranged on the basis of public-private partnership (PPP).
The second phase, to be completed by 2035, would see two more harbours with the same specifications. The deep-sea port would have six harbours when the third phase is completed by 2055.
The study proposed a 40-kilometre (25 miles) railway and roadway to help connect the deep-sea port with Chittagong and Cox's Bazar resort cities.