Multiple megaprojects are being implemented in the southwest district of Khulna to develop rail and road connectivity for economic advancement and to improve the living standards of the people in the region.
These remarkable initiatives include the Khulna-Mongla Rail Link Project, which connects Khulna with Mongla Port in Bagerhat. Two Indian firms are working on the Tk4,260 crore project, which is financed jointly by the two governments.
The construction of a rail bridge on the Rupsa River under the project ended last year, while other work is at the final stage. Officials hope that the project can be launched sometime this month.
When the Rupsa Rail Bridge is commissioned, new horizons will open up in the trade and commerce of the region, with the port and EPZ gaining pace. It will be easy to transport goods to India, Nepal and Bhutan at a low cost. Moreover, local and foreign tourists can easily travel to the Sundarbans from different places.
The railway project is divided into three parts: a railway bridge over the Rupsa River, a new rail line, and a telecommunication and signalling system.
Even though the bridge was constructed in September last year, train movement on the bridge could not begin in July as planned due to rain, officials said. The length of the railway track, including the loop line, is 91.87km. Out of this, 64.75km is a broad gauge line. Besides, 107 small bridges and nine underpasses have been constructed under the project.
In the meantime, the authorities have conducted trial runs of trains on the line several times.
The Mongla Port has been undergoing a massive overhaul and has seen a growing trend in exports and imports since the inauguration of the Padma Bridge. This bridge has reduced the distance between Dhaka and Mongla to just 170km. Hence, Mongla Port is now 90km closer than the country’s largest port in Chittagong.
With the opening of the rail line, Mongla Port, the country's second-largest seaport, will be brought under rail connectivity after 73 years of its establishment. The port was established on December 1, 1950.
Project officials say once the project is implemented, there will be radical changes in trade and communication in the district. The pressure of transporting goods by road will be reduced, and the transportation costs will go down further. As a result, trade with India, Nepal and Bhutan will be easier.
Project Director (Additional Duty) Md Arifuzzaman said: "We tried to start running trains at the end of July. But it was not possible for some reasons, including rain. Besides, there is still time to finish the job smoothly."
Dream comes true
Indian multinational firm Larsen & Toubro has completed the construction of the 716-metre railway bridge over the Rupsa River, which stretches up to 5.13km with the viaduct section. Another Indian company, Ircon International, has done the rest of the work, including setting up stations and tracks.
The main works of the project were the acquisition of 776.67 acres of land, the construction of a 64.75km main line from Khulna to Mongla Port, a 21.11km loop line, eight stations, 31 minor and major bridges, 112 culverts, the Rupsa rail bridge, viaducts on both sides of the bridge, a 200m RCC retaining wall, and water supply system.
The project started with the approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on December 21, 2010, and a three-year timeframe. However, its duration and cost increased as the design changed several times due to changes in design.
The initial cost of the project was estimated at Tk1,721 crore. At present, the cost stands at Tk4,260 crore, up from the Tk3,801 crore revised budget.
Bhairab Bridge
Among other initiatives, the 1.32km Bhairab Bridge project has regained momentum recently, while the fisheries sector has seen revolutionary growth over the last decade and a half.
The bridge project has been planned to keep Khulna’s communication and bond intact with Digholia Upazila. Recently, the project deadline was extended till June 30 of next year due to the delay in construction. The Roads and Highways Division is supervising the project.
If the work went according to schedule, the construction would have been completed by November 25, 2022. The cost of the project has been estimated at Tk617.53 crore. Out of this, the bridge construction would cost Tk303 crore while Tk281 is allocated for land acquisition.
A total of 30 pillars will be installed on the Bhairab Bridge and a steel frame will be set up on pillars 15 and 16. The progress of the project in actual construction work and land acquisition is 34%, land acquisition and financials 61.29%, and the progress of the package is 7.10%.
Project Manager Engineer SM Nazmul said that efforts are being made to complete the work within the specified time. "We will be able to start the work faster only if all the acquired land for the bridge is fully explained to the authorities. Manpower has already been increased and equipment has been provided."
Md Anisuzzaman Masud, executive engineer of Khulna RHD, said that construction work will resume at the Digholia end of the bridge.
He cited land acquisition complications, Covid-19 pandemic, land transfer of railways and complications in the acquisition of land under the jurisdiction of Khulna City Corporation as reasons for the delay in the project.
Former chairman of Digholia Union and Organizing Secretary of Upazila Awami League Md Feroz Molla said that the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised to build the bridge following the demand of the late local MP and parliament whip SM Mustafa Rashidi Suja on April 22, 2001.
"If this bridge is constructed, the distance between the city and Digholia will be reduced. The residents of Digholia, surrounded by the river, demand that the bridge be named after Bangamata Fazilatunnecha Mujib," he said.
The government approved the project on December 17, 2019, and the tender was floated on July 27, 2020. At the end of the process, on November 26, 2020, Wahid Construction Ltd (a firm under Karim Group) was given the work order. The contractor officially started the construction work with the test piling on a pillar on May 24, 2021.
