Civil Aviation and Tourism ministry has decided to appoint a South Korean firm to upgrade the Cox’s Bazar Airport with a 5.26% increase in projected cost compared to the cancelled tender in 2011.
An official of the civil aviation authority said it has finalised the third tender for appointing consultants for the upgrade.
Delay in the tender process has raised the cost of construction, equipment, labour which in turn increased the cost of contractor firm, the official added.
In a proposal in 2009, CAAB wanted to expand the airport runway from 6,775 feet to 9,000 feet with projected cost of Tk 302.65 crore. When compared to that base the cost has now increased by 90.07% to Tk 578.25 crore at the end of last year.
The proposal was to enable large planes from Europe, America and Eastern Asia to land straight in Cox’s Bazar with tourists wishing to see the longest sea beach in the world.
The Cox’s Bazar airport upgrade proposal is likely to be placed before the cabinet committee on public purchase on April 1, presided over by finance minister AMA Muhith.
Under the Cox’s Bazar airport development project (first phase), the load sustaining capacity for the runway, taxiways and the apron will be strengthened, a fire station, a terminal building, a cargo village, embankments and enclosure walls will be built.
South Korean firm Yooshi Engineering Corporation-Iishin Hitec Co Ltd and Bangladeshi firm Development Design Consultants Ltd are working as consultants on design and projected cost of the upgrade.
As per the Civil Aviation ministry proposal, the South Korean firm Halla-MAH-Seokwang JV won the tender for construction against two other firms, China CAMC Engineering Company Ltd and Abdul Monem Ltd.
CAAB floated the tender for the work in 2011 and two Malaysian, one Turkish, one Chinese firm and an Italian-Thai joint venture submitted bids for the job.
Turkish firm Kuanta Construction was the lowest bidder but the firm was not given the work since it had no experience in constructing runways.
Rashed Khan Menon, Civil Aviation and Tourism minister told Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We will not take responsibility for the corruption in that tender process.” The Anti-Corruption Commission will look into the 2011 tender corruption.
Asked, the civil aviation minister said he was not sure when the Cox’s Bazar airport upgrade project would start.
