An eight-member committee has been formed to find out a suitable site for setting up an international convention center on 50 bighas of land near Dhaka-Mawa.
A committee headed by Public Works Secretary Md Golam Rabbani has been formed to prepare a report on the possible sites, which will be submitted in September next to finally select the project area and sources of funds for setting up the proposed convention center, said Finance Minister AMA Muhith after attending an inter-ministerial meeting held yesterday at the finance ministry at the secretariat in the capital.
The meeting was, attended, among others, by LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam and Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu.
The meeting opined that an international convention centre might be constructed in the Nobabganj Upzilla Galimpur moza area, which is six kilometer east from Nobabaganj Upzilla head quarters, besides Dhaka -Dohar roadside, and it will be 25 kilometer from zero point of Dhaka city.
Proposed convention center site will be on 44 acres, which is now being used as agriculture land. Of the 44 acres, 43.86 acres private land and rest of khas land and there is no establishment in the areas, as per the proposal.
“Possible sites of an international convention center may be three but it is not right time to disclose the name of areas because price of the land may be increased in those areas,’’ Muhith pointed out. He also said an international airport and railway station would be set up near the convention center.
He said the convention center will establish within two years with most of expenses bear by the government of Bangladesh under Public and Private Partnership initiative.
The project will be implemented at a cost of US$300m or Tk2,400 crore with the financial and technical assistance from the Chinese government.
Terming Bangladesh is an attractive place not only for the investors but also for huge gathering of people from home and abroad, the finance minister said: We need another international convention centre to tap the opportintunities.
As per the proposed infrastructure plan, the centre will house a large gallery with seating capacity of 5,000 spectators, two medium sized galleries, having 500 seats each, 10 seminar rooms, having seating capacity of 200 people each and several offices for the government. The centre will also have a parking lot for 500 cars.
The proposed convention centre, which will have an exclusive office for the Prime Minister and offices for some cabinet members. According to the draft plan, the estimated project cost worth Tk2,400 crore would be out sourcing from the public and private sectors.