The foundation stone of the metro rail will be laid soon to ease the city’s chronic traffic congestion and ensure comfortable commuting, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader said.
“The metro rail project needs 23-decimal land for implementation of the project at Uttara third phase,” the minister told journalists at Sarak Bhaban conference room here, reports BSS.
He talked about ongoing and development projects and asked all officials of RHD to quick repair work of the existing roads and highways across the country.
Additional secretary (Roads division), of the ministry Farid Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, chief engineer of RHD and other officials were present at the meeting.
He said the construction work of the much-expected metro rail project would be started within the tenure of this government. According to Metro Rail project, the government signed loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) early this year.
As per the agreement, JICA will give Taka 165.94 billion for metro rail project. The government decided to start construction work of the metro rail this year and complete the entire project in three phases (by the fiscal year 2024).
Under the project, a 20.10-kilometre overhead rail track would be constructed from Uttara to Motijheel (Bangladesh Bank) via Pallabi and Sonargaon Hotel areas with a total of 16 stations.
In the first phase, 11 km rail track from Pallabi to Sonargaon Hotel will be completed by 2019, the 4.4 km second phase from Sonargaon Hotel to Bangladesh Bank will be built by 2020 and the third phase of 4.7 km from Uttara to Pallabi will be implemented by 2022.
Of the total project cost, the government will provide Tk53.9 billion, including the expenses for land acquisition, rehabilitation of the affected people and utility relocation.
On December 18, 2012, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the country’s first metro rail project, the first of its kind in the country, to reduce traffic jam in the capital city. The minister said mobile units of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) would be ready to instant repair broken roads and its whole for smooth movement of motor vehicles.