C T Online Desk: The Bangladesh Bridge Authority has recently submitted a proposal to the planning commission seeking cost and time extension of the tunnel construction under the River Karnaphuli in Chattogram.
Planning ministry officials said that the BBA in its proposal sought cost increase of the China-funded project by Tk 315 crore to Tk 10,689 crore from Tk 10,374 crore.
It also sought an extension of the project tenure by one more year to December 2023.
A meeting of the executive committee of National Economic Council will be held on Tuesday to review the BBA proposal.
This was the second time that the BBA sought revision to the project identified as fast track by the government for speedy implementation.
Earlier in 2018, the project was revised for increasing its cost to Tk 10,374.42 crore from the initial cost of Tk 8,446.63 crore estimated in November 2015.
The project tenure was also increased by two and a half years to December 2022.
The officials said that the BBA showed depreciation of local currency against dollar to be the main reason for cost escalation of the tunnel that was likely to be opened for vehicular movement in the next month.
On Friday, road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader said that the tunnel would be inaugurated on February 24.
He also said that 95 per cent of the project work had already been implemented.
The Exim Bank of China had provided a loan of Tk 6,070 crore while the government met the rest of the cost.
China Communications Construction Company Ltd has constructed the 3.40-kilometre tunnel with an approach road of 5.35 kilometres.
The tunnel will connect the proposed Asian Highway to Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway and reduce the distance from Chattogram to Cox’s Bazar by 40 kilometres.
Vehicles through this tunnel will run at a speed of 80 kilometres per hour.
Around 50 lakh vehicles have been projected to use the tunnel in the first year of its inauguration.
In August 2022, the government appointed the same China Communications Construction Company Ltd for collecting toll from tunnel users and maintenance at a cost of Tk 983.82 crore for a five-year period.
The government is yet to announce toll rates.
On November 26, 2022, prime minister Sheikh Hasina joined an event marking an end to general work of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel’s south tube.
She also officially announced completion of the tunnel’s south side at the event organised by the Bridges Division, virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban, United News of Bangladesh reported.
Construction work of the Karnaphuli Tunnel’s southern end had been completed entirely, while 99 per cent work of the tunnel’s northern end has been finished, according to the report.
