The government has decided to appoint a Chinese firm for the next five years for operating and maintaining the Bangabandhu bridge over river Jamuna.
An official of the government’s Bridge Division said the Chinese firm made it through as the lowest bidder among the five competitors.
The proposal for appointing China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) at a cost of Tk142.03 crore will be placed in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase, the official said.
The contract with the existing operator – MCCC (No.4)-SEL-UDC JV – ends on November 30. So the new contractor will take over on December 1, 2015.
The other firms that took part in the bidding are: Rancak Bristari Sdn Bhd (RB)-Abdul Monem Ltd JV; PREC (M) Sdn-Infratech Construction Company JV; China Railway 24th group-Buraue-MM Builders and Engineers Ltd JV; and Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn (Prolintas)-Shamim Enterprise Ltd (SEL)-UDC Construction Ltd(UDC) JV.
CCCC has already given warranty to the Bridges Division about carrying on with the work until 2019, says the proposal.
The Bangabadhu Multi-purpose Bridge opened in June 1998. It connects Bhuapur on the Jamuna River’s east bank to Sirajganj on its west bank.
It was the 11th longest bridge in the world when constructed in 1998 and currently the sixth longest bridge in South Asia.
Jamuna is one of the three major rivers in Bangladesh and the fifth largest in the world in terms of volumetric discharge.