The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its consent yesterday to the construction proposal of Karnaphuli river tunnel in Chittagong.
As per the proposal, a commercial agreement will be signed between Bangladesh Bridge authority and China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC).
Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, an alternative chairman of the committee, presided over the meeting.
The agreement is likely to be signed on June 29 while the works to construct the 4.21km tunnel is expected to start by the end of 2015 and conclude in 2019.
The total project cost will be $1005.80m.
The CCCC who conducted survey on four international tunnels and Padma Bridge revealed that the construction cost of the Karnaphuli tunnel might range from $770.43m to $1,806.17m.
As per the survey, the per kilometre cost of constructing the tunnel will be up to $103.67m.
Per kilometre cost of Canada’s Ottawa Tunnel will be $143.50m, Japan’s Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line $361m, China’s Dalian-Yantai Tunnel $146m and Yellow River Tunnel $82.90m.
The China will provide Tk705.80m and rest of the fund will come from Bangladesh government exchequer.
The tunnel could later be linked with the proposed Asian Highway Network, which is supposed to establish road communications with neighbouring Myanmar and India.
The Karnaphuli tunnel will attract downtown population in the east side and promote “One City and Two Towns” improvement model adopted by China’s largest city Shanghai.
The tunnel is also essential because heavy siltation on the Karnaphuli riverbed is a main problem for proper functioning of Chittagong Port and also for building new bridges.
